Farming tool takes innovation award

A unique tool for measuring on-farm pasture growth has won a major award at this year’s New Zealand Innovators Awards.

The C-Dax Pasture Meter, a machine that identifies how much feed a paddock contains as well as areas of poor pasture, was named top innovation in environment and agriculture at a ceremony in Auckland last month. It also allows farmers to accurately budget feed for their cows and enables more efficient fertiliser application.

The technology, which is capable of taking up to 200 measurements a second, was devised at Massey’s Centre for Precision Agriculture by Professor Ian Yule and two PhD students, Dr Robert Murray and Dr Hayden Lawrence, who say it requires no specialist knowledge to operate and can be towed behind an ATV or quad bike at speeds of up to 20kph.

Massey University had three other successes at the awards, with Professor Bernd Rehm nominated in the Most Inspiring Individual award for his work with Polybatics Limited. Polybatics Limited was also a finalist for the Emerging Innovator Award.

Magritek Limited, a company based on research carried out at Massey, won the Innovation in Health and Science Award and was a finalist in the Supreme Award.

The New Zealand Innovators Awards are designed to celebrate and recognise great kiwi innovations, inventors and organisations that have invested in developing new products, services and ventures as well as improving the performance of people and teams.