performance

Pasture meter test on 3/4/98. Independent test was undertaken on a dairy farm at Edgecumbe Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.
Present were Chris Bone director Stocktech Ltd, Malcolm Campbell Area Manager Stocktech Bay of Plenty, Tonya Greig farm consultant and Glen Coleman farm manager. Purpose of trial was to decide which pasture meter to use for a feed budgeting service for Stocktech area managers to provide to it's clients. Conditions were overcast, light wind, 18c, light dew. Meters tested were: Jenquip, Farm Tracker, Tru Test and Alistair George PastureGauge.
We were looking at the following criteria:
1. Ease of use. 2. Robustness. 3. Accuracy. 4. Technical features.
How we conducted the trial.
Each participant read the manual supplied by the manufacturers then spent 10 minutes familiarising them selves with the equipment.
The meters were then taken onto the farm and several pasture walks undertaken. Participants walked in parallel diagonally, across the paddocks (1.8 ha each) taking about 35 readings as they went.
Users made the following comments on ease of use. General note on the pasture plates: All operators far preferred using the electronic probes as they were much lighter and more convenient to carry. We did not feel at all confident that the readings from the plates could be reliable on all species. In particular we thought that the plates could not reliably measure Fescue after it had been grazed, due to it's clumpy growth habit. We thought the plates would over estimate in these circumstances.