Vultus adds forage grasses to its analysis platform

Following years of investment we are proud to announce the launch of a new analytics service that enables growers to predict protein levels and dry matter content of forage grasses. The analytics service is unique on the market and allows for a significantly improved overview of dry matter and protein levels in the grass crop. The commercial launch follows successful field trials in Norway, which indicate savings of at least 20% in feed additives. The service, which will initially be launched by Vultus and TKS Agri (TKS) in Sweden and Norway, is primarily aimed at dairy and meat producers.

Why forage grasses?

Grasslands are the second largest land carbon sink after forests and the most prevalent and widespread type of land cover vegetation, accounting for 31.5% of the global landmass. From an agricultural perspective, grasslands provide the cheapest source of fodder for the livestock industry. Crops on pasture are usually a mixture of grasses and legumes that can be fed directly to livestock through grazing, or dried or pre-treated before feeding.

Protein

Protein is an essential element of livestock nutrition and is generally reported in grass as total crude protein. Proper crude protein levels are important for many types of livestock that depend on them for nutrition. When the percentage of crude protein is low, the bacteria responsible for digestion cannot maintain adequate levels to process the forage.

Approximately 80% of the crude protein in fresh grass is true protein. The remainder is often referred to as non-protein nitrogen. Crude protein concentration varies by season and maturity. Cooler environments will produce forages with higher levels of crude protein as compared to the levels produced in warmer environments. Crude protein also decreases as the forage ages and fiber content increases, and in excessively rainy conditions after the forage has been cut.

Dry Matter

The dry matter of forage (or grass) is what remains of the forage after water has been removed. Dry matter can also be used as a measure of crop yield. While making silage, the grower aims to cut the grass when DM is within the range of 16-20% and baled in 35-40% range to enable good fermentation and optimum intakes.

Bales

Model Development

The model was developed based on field sampling and laboratory measurements as well as satellite images. Four fields were selected for this study, all located in the region of Rogaland, Norway. Each field has slightly different climatic conditions and soil qualities as described in more detail in the study report.

The satellite images used were unclouded images closest to the field sample collection dates. Most of the images are one or two days different from the sample collection dates. Both the dry matter and protein models were built with the Random Forest method. The input variables are different bands from satellite images and vegetation indices. All the field samples were randomly separated into two parts: 75% for training and the other 25% for validation. The root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of validation dataset were used to represent the error of the model. The above process was repeated 1,000 times and the model with the best results was selected as the final model.

Protein model results.

Dry Matter model results.

Can you be part of Vultus revolution and gain higher yields at lower costs?

Yes, you can! Contact us today info@vultus.se to learn more.