AFBI Launches Unique ‘Precision Grassland Platform’

A new research platform has been unveiled by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) to help the UK livestock industry optimise the use of grassland in dairy and beef production systems.

The Precision Grassland Platform will allow scientists to study the grazing environment in detail, testing new innovations in grassland management and track the interactions from the soil, through the plant to the animal and the resultant meat and milk produced.  A better understanding of these interactions will drive improvements in both productivity as well as environmental sustainability.

Its development has been supported by a £1.2million investment from CIEL (Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock) through funding from the UK’s Innovation Agency, Innovate UK.

Highly instrumented, technology and data driven, the platform is the first of its kind in the Northern hemisphere due to its complexity and high level of integration. It encompasses 78ha of “connected landscape”. Using sensors and technology, it integrates detailed soil, plant, animal and climatic data to give a comprehensive view of the key components of the grassland ecosystem and their interactions. A network of wireless relay towers feed data back from the grazing environment every 15 minutes day and night.

The information collected will support a precision focus on nutrient application, grass growth and utilisation, animal behaviour and grass management. This uplift in the quality and quantity of data will be key to improving grassland management on farm addressing the grand challenges facing the sector such as improving efficiency in production systems and the drive to become carbon neutral.

The platform will be used to study dairy and beef management in grassland systems and provide trial facilities under commercially relevant conditions for ruminant research. A number of projects, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and AgriSearch, are already underway with the new technologies at AFBI. Recent results from trials on nutrient use efficiency, nutrition of animals at pasture, grass growth and quality forecasting and animal grazing behaviour were presented at the launch event.

Speaking at the event, Dr Elizabeth Magowan, Director of Sustainable Agri-Food Science at AFBI, commented: “Grass is the cornerstone of ruminant livestock sectors and there is significant potential to lift both our grassland productivity and the efficiency with which we utilise this vital resource.”

“This platform is an important component of our vision to advance the local and global agri-food sectors, through scientific excellence, by providing new capability for industry innovation and informing government policy.

“This platform, and the science delivered from it, will contribute significantly to AFBI Hillsborough being an exemplar ‘Farm of the Future’ in terms of environmental sustainability, social responsibility and economic viability.”

CIEL CEO Lyndsay Chapman added: “This important investment is part of the £3.2 million CIEL has invested into new agri-tech at AFBI. The ruminant capability here complements our research facilities within the wider CIEL alliance.”

Notes to editors: 

AFBI carries out high quality technology research and development, statutory, analytical, and diagnostic testing functions for DAERA and other Government departments, public bodies and commercial companies.

AFBI's Vision  is “Advancing the Local and Global Agri-Food Sectors Through Scientific Excellence”.

AFBI's core areas:
            - Leading improvements in the agri food industry;
            - Protecting animal, plant and human health;
            - Enhancing the natural and marine environment.

CIEL is one of the UK’s four Agri-Tech Centres established as a key pillar of the government’s Agri-Tech Strategy.  They are a partnership between industry, academia and government. More information at        www.agritechcentres.com. CIEL works in partnership with 12 of the UK’s leading livestock research institutions and a network of Industry Members spanning the entire food supply chain from pre-farmgate to retailers. CIEL aims     to use these collaborative partnerships to enhance and accelerate business-led innovation, as well as inspire and identify opportunities that could lead to the development of new products, services and techniques that can benefit the entire agrifood chain. www.CIELivestock.co.uk    Twitter @CIELivestock1.

Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. For more information visit www.ukri.org.

All media enquiries to AFBI Press Office 028 9025 5326.

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