General Description - C-Dax pasture meter+ Operation Manual

General Description

To date, pasture cover measurement is normally performed by one of the
following 3 methods.
• Visual assessment
• Rising Plate Meter
• Pasture Probe
These methods can either be subjective, time consuming or rely on a limited
number of individual measurements per paddock.
The C-Dax Pasturemeter+ has been designed to greatly improve the collection of
pasture cover data in quantity, speed and ease of collection.
It is an electronic device that is trailed behind an ATV, and operated at speeds of
up to 20 kph. It has wheels which are lowered to allow travel on roads, farm
races / tracks, and which can be raised to allow the sled to run directly on the
ground in the measurement position. The wheels then act as outriggers for
stability.
The Pasturemeter+ has been designed to measure the height of pasture grass
and average the readings. Internal software then converts the averaged readings
to kgDM/ha by using a calibration equation that can be changed for different
times of the year.
The sensor takes 200 height readings per second. At a ground speed of 20kph,
this represents a reading every 27mm of ground traveled.
The measuring sensor is mounted on a purpose built sled which is trailed behind
an ATV or farm vehicle at speeds of up to 20 kph depending on terrain. The
sensor has 18 light beams for measurement purposes between the left and right
vertical arms.
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