 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Down On The Virtual Farm With GrassGro 3
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jun 18, 2007 Graziers will have improved access to decades of CSIRO grazing research with the release of GrassGro 3, the latest version of the high-powered grazing management software. Launched at the Grasslands Society of Southern Australia's annual conference today by Tim Prance, Senior Consultant in Pastures and Grazing Systems with Rural Solutions South Australia, GrassGro version 3 includes a new flexible user interface and a range of additional powerful features, including tools to help graziers manage climate change impacts. "Farming decisions are becoming increasingly complex, with climate variability, drought and varying commodity prices," Mr Prance says. "Tools such as GrassGro give farmers the chance to explore innovative options and assess possible risks to their businesses." GrassGro lead project officer Libby Salmon says the program is based on over 20 years of CSIRO field experimentation from across Australia. "GrassGro uses research results, daily weather data and inputs from the actual paddock to model a virtual grazing system," Ms Salmon says. "Users can apply different management options and compare the predicted outcomes in an easily-generated report. "While it is an extremely powerful tool on the farm, the real strength of GrassGro is its flexibility," she says. "The program can be used to improve management decisions in a range of environments, including catchment areas and native grasslands, and its modelling capabilities can be used to assess drought, dryland salinity, greenhouse gas emissions and grassland fire risk." GrassGro's ability to help analyse the opportunities and risks that variable weather imposes on the profitability and sustainability of grazing systems, such as drought management, will be used in future research projects to assess other long-term impacts of weather variability such as climate change.
The latest version features: GrassGro is one of the GrazPlan suite of decision support tools developed by CSIRO to address important issues in agriculture and land management. GrassGro is available through Horizon Agriculture Pty Limited; Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links CSIRO Plant Industry GrassGro Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology
University Of Colorado Invention May Allow Thirsty Crops To Signal Farmers
Boulder CO (SPX) Jun 15, 2007Corn and potato crops may soon provide information to farmers about when they need water and how much should be delivered, thanks to a University of Colorado at Boulder invention optioned to AgriHouse Inc., a Berthoud, Colo., high-tech company. The technology includes a tiny sensor that can be clipped to plant leaves charting their thickness, a key measure of water deficiency and accompanying stress, said Research Associate Hans-Dieter Seelig of CU-Boulder's BioServe Space Technology Center. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement |
