Computer tool to aid seed nous

Two years of research is behind breakthrough software that will help farmers make correct pasture choices, says Meat and Wool New Zealand.

ForageMaster, to be launched next month, is designed to improve selection of pasture crop species and should make sheep and cattle farms more productive for longer periods, says Andy Bray, research and development portfolio manager at Meat and Wool.

Bray says the choice of 40 forage species, such as clover or forage turnip, and 250 cultivated varieties makes selecting the best seed combination very difficult.

"There is difficulty in obtaining information on all of them and how they might perform in your situation," Bray says.

Sales pressure from seed suppliers adds to the demand from farmers for independent advice and information, he says.

"That's another source of confusion."

The software took two years to develop using research information collected over many years by Meat and Wool and other organisations.

Farmers answered 30 questions on a range of categories, including soil fertility, climate, pests, disease and preferred yield season.

The program compares answers with detailed information on each species and variety to filter the number of options.

The tool is user-friendly, with tick boxes and sliding-scale settings adjustable at the click of a mouse.

"We expect that anybody with a basic understanding of pastures would be able to take the CD and run the program without assistance," Bray said.

Meat and Wool chief executive Mark Jeffries said farmers would be able to see the program in action at workshops around the country next month.

"The workshops will look at calculating the costs and benefits of re-grassing, which species and cultivar to sow, establishment practises and management of new pasture to achieve maximum performance and persistence," Jeffries said.

The workshops will cost $40 to attend, and farmers will receive a copy of the program.

Bray said the farmers had effectively paid for the software tool through levy collections.

Initial reaction from field testing had been positive and a high turnout was expected.

"They're meeting a need which farmers have identified themselves, so I expect [the workshops] to be really successful," Bray said.

That success may not be limited to New Zealand's beef and lamb producers.

"There's potential to modify the thing to make it applicable to deer and dairy farmers in New Zealand and with more major modifications it is quite possible to make it applicable to Australia or anywhere else."

Funded by Meat and Wool, the new software was developed by AgResearch.

Meat and Wool's 2003 income was more than $28 million, 75 per cent coming from farmer levies. Nearly $16 million was spent on research and development in the same period.