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AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment-LeavingCertificate2017

LeavingCertificate2017

(SchoolName)

AgriculturalSciencePracticalAssessment

Name:

ExamNumber:

NameofFarmer:

Address:

Livestock:DairyCattle

Crop1:Grassland

Crop2:Barley

(Pictureofyouonfarm)


Chapter 1 – General Information on the farm

Farmdetails

Farmer’sName:

Address:

TypeofEnterprise:DairyCattle/Tillage

Totalacreageoffarm:500

Acreageowned:300

Acreagerented:200

Arableacreageundertillage:200

Arableacreageundergrass:300

Wasteland:Lessthan1%

Scrub:5%

Farmlayout

ThefarmissituatedjustofftheR683,regionalroad,whichconnectsWaterfordCitytothe

villageofPassageEast.ItissituatedsouthofKennelLaneandnorthofKillStNicholas.


Thisisahuntingbirdthatiskeptonthefarmasatradition.

Thisisthefarmer’sdog.

Fencing

- Hightensilewirefencing

Hightensilewirefencingisusedthroughoutthefarm.Fourstrandsofstrongwiresrun

horizontallythroughinsulatorsthatareattachedtofenceposts.Thistypeoffencingwas

chosenasitissuitableforcattle(thelivestockonthefarm),itislonglastinganditiseasyto

install.Regularmonitoringofthefenceiscarriedouttoensurethatitiskeptingood

workingcondition.


Hightensilewirefencingonthefarm.

Galvanisedgatesonthefarm.

Watersupply


- Well

- Mains

Thefarm’swatersupplycomesfromawellandthemainsareusedasabackupshouldthe

wellbreakdown.

Drainagesystems

- Moledrainage

Amoledrainageisthedrainagesystemusedonthefarm.Amoleplowisusedtomakean

undergroundchanneltodraintheheavysoilsonthefarm.

MoleDrainageonthefarm.

Topographyoftheland

- Flat&sloping

Thefarm’slandisamixtureofflatandsloping.Theslopinglandisusedforgrazingforcattle

andtheflatlandisusedforthegrowingofcropsiebarley.Theflatlandisusedforgrowing

cropsasitiseasiertousethemachineryontheflatlandrathertheslopingland.

Aspect

- Thefarmisnorthfacing.Thisaffectsthesoiltemperature.Northfacingslopesare

colderthansouthfacingslopeswhichresultsincoldersoils.

Naturalshelterbelts(hedgerows)

- Hedgerows


Hedgerowsrunaroundtheperimeterofthefarmdistinguishingthefarmer’slandandfields

fromneighbouringproperties.Thesenaturalshelterbeltshelptokeepthefarmer’s

livestockinandotherneighbouringlivestockout.

Hedgerowonthefarm.

Gates

- Galvanizedgates

10-16ftgalvanizedgatesareused.


Galvanisedgatesonthefarm.

Powersource

- Mains

Thefarm’spowersourceisthemains(32KVA).

FarmBuildings

Listofbuildingsonthefarm:

- Slattedunits

- Dryarea

- Workshop

- Machinerystore

- Grainstore

- Milkingparlour

- Stables

Slattedunits

Thistypeofbuildingwaschosenasitcanaccommodateboththecowsandtheirwaste.The

cowsaregroupedaccordingtoage,bodyconditionandcalvingdate.Theslattedunitson

thefarmhaveafeedingareaandlyingdownarea.Althoughthistypeofhousingwas

expensivetobuildthefarmerfindsittobelesslabourintensivethancubiclehousingin

whichthedungpassagewayneedstobeclearedeveryday.Teagascrecommendsthateach

dairycowhave2.5-3metressquaredpercow.


TheleafletincludedshowsTeagasc’sdrawingandplansofvariousbuildingthatcomplywith

theDepartmentofAgricultureandFoodspecificationsandHealthandSafetyprocedures

andrequirements.ThefarmerusedtheplansforBH4asshowninthedrawings.

Machinerystore

Themachineryisstoredinaopenplanshed.

Grainstore

Thereisaloosegrainstoreonthefarm.Therearenograindryingfacilitiesasallgrainis

boughtin.

Milkingparlour

Theparlouronthefarmisaherringboneparlour.Theparlourislaidoutsothatthereisa

holdingareaattheendnearthefarmyard.Cowsenteratthatendandlineupasshown

below.Theisacentreaislewherethefarmercanobserveatmilkingandthenthecowsare

directedout.

Adiagramoftheherringbonesystemthatisusedonthefarm.

Stables

Therearetwostableslocatedinthefarmyard.Althoughthereisnoneedforworkinghorses

onthefarm,horsesarestillkeptasapartofthefarmtraditionandalsoforleisure.


Thestables.

Animalhousingonthefarm

Thetypeofhousingusedforthecattleisslattedunits.Someofthehousesarenewand

someareoldwiththemajoritybeingbuiltin1998.Theyarepermanent,purposebuilt

animalhouses.Ifnewhousesweretobebuiltthefarmerwouldlikemorecubiclesandslats

andlessdryarea.Thecattlearehousedfrommid-Novemberuntilmid-March.Thecalves

arekeptseparatefromthecowsandaregroupedwithothercalvesofsimilarage.The

housesarewellventilatedanddraughtfreeinordertopreventpneumoniaincalves.An

excellentstandardofhygieneismaintainedinordertopreventscour.Thisinvolvesfeeders

andtroughsbeingthoroughlyscrubbed,cleanedanddisinfectedonceamonth.Weanlings

arehousedindoorsforwinterswhentheyareroughlyninemonthsold.


Thecattleshedsonthefarm

Cattlehandlingfacilities

Thecattlehandlingfacilitiesonthefarmarecrushareas,twopermanentandonemobile

andadraftingarea.Acrushareaholdsthecowinastallsafelywhentheyarebeing

examined,brandedorbeinggiventreatment.Acloselyfittedcrushensurestheanimalstand

stillforthesafetyoftheanimalandthepeoplearound.Awelldesigneddraftingareaallows

thefarmertoseparatethecowsfromoneanothershouldheneedto.


Cattlehandlingarea.

Thecattlecrushonthefarm.


Thecattleholdingyardatthebackofthemilkingparlour.

Storage

Forcropstoragethereisaloosefloorarea.Bothasilagepitandbaledsilageareusedonthe

farmbutmainlybaled.Thesilagepitislocatedclosetotheslattedunitforeaseofuse,and

therunofffromthepitgoesintotheslattedtank.Hayandstrawisstoredinaloosestore.

Machineryisstoredinaopenplanshed.

Grain

Thereisagrainstorebuttherearenograindryingfacilitiesasallgrainisboughtin.

Machinery

Themachineryusedisareversibleplough,asubsoiler,aseeddrill,afertiliserspreader,a

combineharvester,amower,arake,abaler,andadietfeeder.

Reversibleplough

Theploughisusedtoturnoverthetoplayerofsoilinthefields.Thisisdonesothatthe

nutrientsarebroughttothesurfacewhichallowsfortheplantuptakeofthem.Thesoil

aerationisalsoimproved.Theploughonthefarmisareversibleploughwhichmeansthere

aretwoploughsmountedtogetherandonlyoneisusedatatime.


Subsoiler

Thefarmersubsoilsbeforeploughing.Hedoesthistobreakupanyhardpansorironpans

thereforeimprovingdrainageandaerationofthesoils.

Seeddrill

Thefarmerusesaseeddrillforseedestablishment.Heusestheseeddrilltosowseedsas

hecanplacefertiliseralongwiththeseed.

Fertiliserspreader

Thefarmerusesafertiliserspreadertospreadfertiliserontheestablishedcrop.The

fertiliserisspreadingranulatedform.

Combineharvester

Thefarmerusesacombineharvestertoharvestthebarleygrownonthefarm.Thecombine

harvesterisusedinsteadofaregularharvesterasitcombinesthethreepracticesofreaping

(cuttingthestalksofthegrain),Threshing(looseningthegrainseedsfromthestrawand

chaff),andwinnowing(separatingtheseedsfromthestrawandchaff)intoonecontinuous

action.

Mower

Themowerisusedtocutgrassforpreservationassilageforwinterfeed.

Rake

Therakeisusedtocreaterowsofgrassreadyforbalingassilage.

Baler

Thebalercreatesroundbalesofsilage.Thebaleronthefarmbalesandwrapsinone

operation.

Dietfeeder


Thefarmerusesadietfeedersothathecanachieveauniformmixtureofsilageandand

concentrates.Therationismixedanddispensedevenly.


Chapter 2 – Livestock


NameofFarmer:

AddressofFarmer:

Typeofenterprise:Dairy

Timeofyearforcalving:Spring

Numberofcowsonfarm:130

Numberofcalvesproducedperyear:125

Breeds

- JerseyxHolsteinFriesian

JerseyXHolsteinFriesianisthebreedofcattleusedonthefarm.Thisbreedwaschosen

becauseitmakesuseofhybridvigour/heterosis(Acrossbredmaintainingthebest

characteristicsofbothbreeds).Profitishigherthanapurebredjerseyorholsteinfriesianas

althoughthiscrossbredproducesareducedmilkyield,milksolidsareincreasedtherefore

increasingprofitperlactation.Thiscrossbreedhasanincreaseinproductionefficiencydue

tohighergrassintakerelativetoitssize.Theaveragemilkyieldpercowperyearis5272kg.

TheCattle


Thecows.


Thecows.

Thecows.


Acowandhercalf.

Stockbulls

- 4stockbulls

- AI

Fourstockbullsarekeptonthefarm,2holsteinfriesians,1jerseyand1aberdeenangusfor

matingwithreplacementheifers.Thesestockbullsarekeptonthefarminanattemptto

keepaclosedherdsothatthereislessriskofdisease.HoweversomeAIisusedasitismore

costeffective.AllAIthatisboughtinischeckedtoensureitisdiseasefree.AIisusedfor

cowsthatarenotsuccessfullymatedonthefirsttry.


Stockbulls.

Stockbulls.

Replacementheifers

- 20%ayear

Eachyear20%ofcalvesarekeptforreplacement,andthesecalvesarechosenmainly

dependentontheirEBI.TheEBIistheEconomicBreedingIndex,itisdesignedtoproduce

profitablegeneticsthroughcowsthatgobackincalfquickly;thereforelastinglongerand

givinggreaterlifetimeproduction.


AsectionfromtheEBI(economicbreedingindex).

Replacementheifersarebredandraisedonthefarminordertomaintainaclosedherdand

preventtheentranceofdisease.Heifersarematedat15monthsoncetheyreach60%of

theirmaturebodyweight.Atthisstagetheyshouldbeweighing295kgandhaveaBCSof

3.25toensuretheheiferiscycling(comingintooestrus).AIisusedonallreplacement

heifersandtheyarematedwithhighEBIsires.ThesiresusedareAberdeenAngustoensure

easycalving.

Management

Culling

AnimalswouldbeculledfromtheherdshouldtherebeabreakoutofTBoranyother

notifiabledisease.Cowsarecullediftheyarerepeating(comingintooestrousrepeatedly

aftermating)orshouldtheirhealthnotbeuptoscratchegmastitis,badfeet,badteat,

lamenessetc

Breeding

- AI

- Stockbulls

WhenAIisusedDoveaorGenoIrelandarethecompaniesused.Thebullchosenmustbe

diseasefree.Fourstockbullsarealsousedonthefarmandtheyareputoutongood


pastureamonthbeforethematingseason.Tailpaintingisusedtotellwhenthecowhas

beenserviced.

Calving

- Indoorcalving

Calvingtakesplaceonstrawinoneofthetencalvingpenswhicharelocatedclosetothe

slattedunits.ThevetheusesshouldheneedassistancewhenacowiscalvingisCCW

(CarrickCrangily).Thecalvingfacilitiesshouldbekeptclean,well-bedded,havegood

lighting,haveasupplyoffreshwaterandbeequippedwithaself-lockingrestraininggate.

Calvingpensshouldneverbeusedtohousesickcattle.Straightafterbirththecowsnavalis

sprayedwithiodine,itsairwaysarecleared,itisfedcolostrumanditistagged.Thecowis

alsocheckedforasecondcalf.Thecalfisthenweanedat6-8weeks.

Calfrearing

- Reareduntilslaughter

- Weanedat3months

Calvesthatarenotbeingusedasreplacementheifersarereareduntilslaughter.Calvesare

startedoffoncolostrumthenarefednutsandthengrasswiththembeingweanedoffmilk

fullyat3monthsor100-110LWG(liveweightgain,whereforevery100-110kgoffood

consumedthecowproduces1litreofmilk).Theyarethenmovedouttograss,weather

dependent.Thepaddockforthecalvesischosenbasedonshelterandgoodgrass.IBR

(InfectiousBovineRhinotracheitis)isadiseasethathasbeenencounteredwiththecalves

onthefarm.Althoughitcanaffectoldercowsitmainlyaffectedthecalves.Itisahighly

contagious,infectiousrespiratorydisease.Anycalvesthattestedpositivewereculledandit

isnowbeingpreventedwithaninjectionprogramme.Itwasbroughtintothefarmbya

boughtinreplacementheiferandduetothethefarmernowmaintainsaclosedherdby

breedingfromwithinhisownherd.Calvesareallvaccinated2-3weeksbeforeweaning.


Thecalves.


Acalf.


Acalf.

Calves.


Milkingparlour

- Herringbone

ThetypeofmilkingparlourusedisaHerringboneandislocatedinthecentreofthefarmfor

easyaccess.20cowscanbemilkedatoncewiththewholeproceduretaking2hours

includingcleanup.Theparlouris5yearsoldandhasautomaticclusterremoversandso

onlytakes1persontocarryoutthemilkingprocesswhichtakesplaceat6:30amand

5:30pm.Theadvantageofaalmost12hourmilkingintervalisthatthereisanincreasedmilk

yield.Frequentlymilkingthecowencouragesthemilk-secretingcells(alveoli)toworkto

theirfullcapacity.12hoursistheoptimummilkingintervalfordairycows.Draftingand

crushfacilitiesarebothlocatedbesidetheparlourandthedraftingareaisusedforAIand

hoofcare.Glanbiacollectsthemilkeveryseconddayandtheycarryoutbutterfat,protein,

cellcountandbacteriatestsonthemilk.Thecowsaredriedoffstartingmid-Novemberfor

6weekstobuildconditionscoreforcalving.Inthedraftareaduringthedryingoffperioda

drycowtreatmentisgiventothecows.Itcontainsalong-lastingantibioticthattreatsand

preventsbacterialinfectionintheudder.Thisisdonesothatmastitiscanbeprevented

Themilkingparlour.


Themilkingparlour.

Themilkingparlour.


Themilkingparlour.

Milkingequipment.

TeatDipping


Cowsareteatdippedattheendofeachmilkingsession.Thecow’steataredippedinateat

disinfectantwhichhelpstopreventmastitis.

Teatdipping.

Housing

Slattedshedsareused.Beforehousingallcowsarevaccinatedforfluandworms.While

beinghousedindoorsthecowsarefedsilageandacourseration.

Vaccinations.


Injections.

Rations

Thefarmerhascomprisedadietthatincludesallofthefollowingnutrientswhichare

essentialinthedietofcows

- Carbohydrates(forenergyandfibre)

- Protein(forgrowthandrepairofcells,energy)

- Fat(forinsulationandenergy)

- Vitamins(forcontrolofmanymetabolicprocesses)

- Minerals(forboneandteethbuilding,energyproduction,milkproduction)

- Water(aidsintemperatureregulation,lactationandothermetabolicprocesses)

Therations.


Thecowsgrazeoutduringsummerandduringwintertheyarefedindoorsonadietwhich

consistsofbulkyfeedsandconcentrates.Thefarmerfeedssilageasitishighinfibre.The

fibrehelpstodeveloptherumeninthecalvesandhelpsinthefunctioningoftherumenin

olderanimals.


Silage.

BodyConditionScoring

ThefarmercheckstheBCSofthecattleevery6weeks.Hedoesthistoensuretheyhavea

BCSof3.5atcalving.

Bodyconditionscoring.

Thecowsarecheckedaroundthetailheadforafatpack.Thecowshownabovehadafat

packthatcanbeclearlyfelt.ThisindicatesaBCSof3.5



Thecowabovehasonlyathinlayeroffataroundthetailhead.ThisindicatesaBCSof2.5


Thecowsarealsovisuallyassessedattheround.A“u”shapeasseenaboveindicatesaBCS

of3.5



Ashapethatismorelikea“v”asshownabove,indicatesaBCSof2.5




CowwithaBCSof2.5.

CowwithaBCSof3.5.


Chapter 3 – Crop 1 – Grassland

NameofFarmer:

AddressofFarmer:

No.ofacres:300

Varieties- PRG

- Clover

PRGwaschosenasthegrassspeciesforthegrassland.Itwaschosenbecausethesoilson

thefarmarewell-drainedandhaveapHofgreaterthan6.0.Itwaschosenforit’shigh

palatability,productivityanddisgestibility.Itwasalsochosenasithasalonggrowingseason

whichmeansthereisreducedcostsforwinterfeed.ThebrandthefarmerusesisAber

Magic.Hechosethisbrandasithasalatefloweringdateandit’sexceptionalquality.Itwas

firstsownin2008inonefieldandnowduetoit’ssuccessitissownthroughoutthewhole

farm.

Cloverisalsopresentinthesward.WhitecloverwassownwiththePRGbecauseit

fixesnitrogensothefarmerfoundtherewaslessneedforartificialfertiliserwhichinturn

reducedhiscosts.

ManagementRotation

- Allgrassisrotationallystripgrazed.

- 10percentofthegrasslandisreseededperyear

- 20-30acresarereseededatatime

- Ablendofseedmixturesisused(Abergain)

- Thefarmerreseedsinanattempttokeepawayweedgrasses

StripGrazingThefarmhas4paddockseachdividedinto7strips.Itisdesignedlikethissothatthecattle

willreturntothefirststriptheygrazed4weeksaftertheyfirstgrazedit.Thecattlegraze

eachstripfor24hours.Thefarmerusesanelectricfencetoseparatethestripsandhasa


moveablewatertroughwhichneedstobemovedeachdayasthecattlemove.Althoughthe

farmerfindsthistypeofgrazingverylabourintensive,thereisnowasteofgrassandthereis

freshgrassavailabletothecowseachday.

Reseeding10%ofthelandundergrassisreseededeachyearwhichworksouttobebetween20-30

acresofgrasslandbeingreseededatatime.Thefarmerhasfoundthatthisistheoptimum

amountoflandtobereseededeachyearashecanaddclovertothepasturetherefore

increasingthelevelofproductivity,palatabilityanddigestibility.

ReasonsForReseeding- Toreduceweedinfestationbytheadditionofclover

- Increasedstockingdensity

- Improvesthegrassquality

- Extragrasscanbecutforsilagewhichbringsinextraincome

SeedMixturesForReseedingAllgrassisreseededwithanAberGainseedmixtureduetoit’sextremelyhighdigestibility

andpalatability.ThisseedmixtureusesPRGandwhiteclover.

Cultivationpractices

- Stitchingin

StitchinginSeedissownintooldgrassland.Thefarmerreseedsinspringasgrassgrowthisnotatit’s

highestrate.Nitrogenfertiliserissownwiththeseedtoencourageestablishment.

Benefitsofstitchingin- Noneedtoploughtheland

- Landdoesnothavetobetakenoutofuse

- Ifthenewseedfailstoestablishitself,theoldswardwillstillgrow

SeedEstablishment- Fertiliseruse

- WeedControl

Fertiliseruse- CAN10-10-20

300acresofthefarmlandisusedforgrazing.Soiltestsarecarriedoutevery5years.Limeis

applied to the land where needed and the farmer uses 5 bags of CAN 10-10-20 where

needed.Slurryandfarmyardmanurearealsoapplied.

Weedcontrol- Thistles

- Docks


Mostcommonweedsarethistlesanddock.Theseareshownonthepageincluded.

Harvesting5AcresissavedashayanditisharvestedinJuly.Allhayharvestediskeptforfeed,andthe

averagebalesperacreis8


ConservationThegrassisconservedassilageforwinterfeedforthecattle.

TherfermentationofcarbohydratesinthegrassproducesacidsthatlowerthepHof

thegrassandinhibitallmicrobialactivity.Properlyfermentedandpreservedsilagecanbe

storedforafewyears,althoughonthisfarmitisusedinthewinterasanimalfeed.


Chapter 4 – Crop 2 - Barley FarmerName:

AddressofFarmer:No.ofacres:200

Varieties/EndUse

- Springbarley

- Feedingbarley

Feedingbarley isproducedon the farm foranimal feed,and thestraw isused foranimal

bedding.Saffron is thevarietyofbarleyusedon the farm.Allbarley is springbarley.This

varietywaschosenbecauseofits’diseaseresistanceandyield.


WhyDidTheFarmerChooseBarleyThefarmerchosebarleybecausehefoundthatissuitedthecool,wetIrishclimatewell.He

also decided to grow barley as it is higher in protein and fibre and is therefore is more

valuabletohimasananimalfeed.

GeneralManagement- SowninFebruary

- HarvestedfromAugustonwards

As the barley is spring barley it is sown in February as it is not frost resistant. There is a

loweryieldduetoashortergrowingseason.Springbarleywaschosenastheendpurposeis

feedingbarley.

Certified seed is used on the farm as the germination rate is guaranteed and this

means there will be a higher yield. Certified seedmust pass identity and purity tests to

ensure they have a minimum germination rate of 85%, they must have undergone

treatmentwith fungicide/pesticideand theymustbe completely free fromwildoat seed.

Thisallensuresahigheryieldcanbeguaranteed.

Cultivation- Soils/climate

- Seedbedpreparation/sowing

- Fertilisers

- Weedcontrol

- Harvest/storage

Thesoilonthefarmisabrownearthsoilandthisissuitedtothegrowingoffeedingbarley.

ThegeneralpHofthesoilisbetween6and6.5.Thisischeckedeveryfiveyearandlimeis

addedtoraisethepHasneeded.AsthereisalotofraininIreland,springbarleyissuitedto

theclimateasthebarleyneedstobeharvested indryconditionsandthefarmerharvests

thespringbarleyaroundAugusteachyear.Theclimateinthesoutheastissuitedtobarley

growingduetothefactthatbarleyneedsmoisturetogrowandthisiswhythefarmerchose

togrowbarleyonthefarmoveranothercrop.

Thelandisploughedinautumnandthenitisharrowed.Thelandisthenrolled(after

sowingtheseed)tohelpwithseed-soilcontact.ThebarleyissowedinFebruaryeachyear.

Thefarmersowstheseedwithacombinedrillwhichsowstheseedatarateof200kg/ha

alongwithCAN10-10-20fertilser

Selectiveherbicidesareusedtocontroltheweedsonthefarmandstubblecleaning

isalsocarriedoutforweedcontrol

Thebarleyonthefarmisharvestedwithacombineharvester.Thefarmerknowsthe

cropisripewhentheearbendsoversandliesparalleltothestemandalsoitisidentifiedby

thefarmerbyitsgoldencolour.Thegrainsarestoredinlarge,ventilatedsheds.Thefrainis

treatedwithpropionicacid.Thispreventsthegrainfrombeingattackedbypests,fungiand

bacteriawhileinstorage.


Rotation- Sowncontinuously

Asthebarleygrownonthefarmisusedforfeedingpurposes,itissowncontinuously.Thisis

becausesoil-bournepestsanddiseasesdonotaffectthebarleyonthisfarm.Howeverthey

canbepresentonotherfarms.

YieldTheaveragebarleyyieldonthefarmis6-7tonnesahalfacrewhichworksoutroughlytobe

2400-2800tonnestotalonthefarmperharvesteachyear.

DiseasesEncountered- Mildew

- Manganesedeficiency


Mildew(asshownabove)Thefarmerhasencounteredproblemswithmildew.Itisafungaldiseasethathasaffected

hisgrasslandinthepast.Itisidentifiablebythewhitespotsontheleaves.

Thediseaseispreventedandcontrolledbyspreadingafungicidecalledlime-suflur.

ManganeseDeficiency(asshownabove)ThefarmerhasalsoencounteredproblemswithamanganeseDeficiency.Itwasidentified

bytheblack/brownspotsontheleaves.Itwasfoundtobepresentinasmallcornerofone

fieldwheretherewaspoordrainageduetoadownwardslope.Thiswasfixedbyputtingina

moledrainagesystem.

Chapter5-Technology


Technologyisusedonthefarmtoenhancetheproductionefficiency,ensurelesswaste,and

overallmanagementonthefarm.Thereare3mainappsthatareusedforthesefunctions;

Moocall,Grass2MilkandfarmGRAZE.

MoocallThisisamobileapp,developedbyMoocall,whichisdesignedtoworkalongsidetheMoocall

device.It’sfunctionistoaidthemanagementoftheherdatcalvingseason.Eachindividual

cowisenteredintotheappanddataisgatheredaroundduedates,calvingeventsand

calvingtendenciesofthei)theherdandii)eachindividualcow.

AMoocallCalvingSensorisattachedtonearthetailheadofeachcowduringthe

calvingseason.Aringtoneissetwhichalertsustoacalvingevent.Theappuseswifiand

phonesignaltosentanalertaboutanimminentcalving,thisisanadvantageasthephone

signalisweakonthefarm.


Eachcowhastheirownindividualprofile,includingtheirtagnumber,duedateandaphotosectionforidentification.

Eachcalvingisinsertedintotheapp,includingthetagnumber,date,time,gender,calvingdetailsandthecalve’sweight.


Theappstoresinformationonallcowsandcalving.Thereisasectionformanagingthe

herd,wherehistoricherdcalvingdifficultiescanbeseenandthishelpstoensureavetison

standbyorequipmentsuchasacalvingjackisreadytobeusedifneeded.

Bysendinganalerttothephoneofthepersonclosesttotheherdatthetimeof

calving,itensuresthereispropermanagementatthetimeofcalving.Ithelpstoreducecalf

andcowmortalityandtheappandMoocallCalvingSensortogetherareausefulaidusedon

thefarmforthecalvingseason.

Grass2Milk

Thismobileapphelpsthefarmermakeinformeddecisionsaboutthefeedingoftheherd.It

helpstoplanthefeedallocationfortheday,andthefarmercanseehowmuchfeedis

requiredtoreachdailymilktargetsandbodyconditionscoretargets.

Informationisenteredabouttheherd;thenumberofcows,thebreed,theageandthebodyconditionscore.

Thedailyfeedisentered-whatpasture,cropsandsupplementstheherdisbeingfed.


Oncetheherdandfeeddetailsareentered,theappcalculatesthetotalMEintakeand

comparesittotheMErequirements.

Eachparameteriscustomisedwhichensurestheresultsarespecifictotheherdand

thefarm.Oncethesesareentereditisusedtofindouthowmuchtofeedonadailybasis.

Asenergyisthemostlimitingcomponent,theappassistsusinidentifyingtheactualdaily

energyrequirementoftheherd.Theapprunswithoutwifiandphonesignalsoitcanbe

usedanywhereonthefarm.

farmGRAZEThisappisusedtosavemoneyonfeedandfertiliser.Grazingismeasuredandrecordedand

theappcanbeaccessedquickyfromanywhereonthefarm.


Theswardheight/kilosofdrymatterperhectarearerecordedaswellasthebreed,typeofgrazingandsupplementaryfeeding.Asthefarmhasarisingplaymeterthevalueofthisisenteredaswell.

Aninstantcalculationonthelevelofgrazingandadviceonhowtomanageitissent.


Theappsendsremindersandtipsofgrasslandmanagementstraighttothefarmer’sphone.

Grassmeasurementisrecordedandisrecalledwhenneededbyfieldnameanddate,these

recordsareexportedthroughemailandarethenprintedanddocumentedwiththefarm’s

filesandHACCAPrecords.


References&AcknowledgementsReferencesused

- ReviseWiseAgriculturalSciencebyEdco

- BreakingGroundAgriculturalSciencebyEdco

Manythanksto-----forhistimeininformingmeabouthowherunshisfarmandshowing

meallthereistoknowandseeonthefarm,andtomyteacherforherguidance.

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