AI makes pasture management easier, more profitable

A new service from agtech innovator Aimer Farming could help farmers boost profits by up to $400 per ha through better pasture management, the company says.

Instant insights, using a smartphone.

Aimer Vision applies AI-driven machine vision techniques to assess pasture cover with around 90 per cent accuracy via a five-second, 180-degree scan using a standard smartphone, which can be done as part of day-to-day farm tasks.

"Traditional pasture measurement methods are often labour-intensive, inconsistent and take hours of time to walk the farm on a weekly basis," says Jeremy Bryant, founder and chief technology officer of Aimer Farming.

By contrast, Aimer Vision delivers instant insights using a smartphone, allowing farmers to optimise grazing, reduce waste, and improve profitability, all without increasing labour costs.

"Our industry estimates suggest that regular and accurate pasture measurement using Aimer Vision could boost farm profits by up to $400 per hectare—potentially adding $60,000 to $80,000 in annual revenue for an average-sized dairy farm."

Up to now, a beta version of the tool has only been available to select farms as part of a project funded by an Agmardt Agribusiness Innovation Grant.

Now, having recorded 15,000 video scans across all four grazing seasons to improve accuracy, wider launch will significantly shift the way New Zealand's $20 billion dairy sector operates, Bryant says.

Data gathering across a full year of seasons is also underway in Ireland to enable Aimer to launch in Europe.

Farmers are offered a free trial on Aimer’s website, for 50 scans or 21 days.

Two paid subscription options are available, both scaled according to farm size. For 150 ha, the cheaper of the two is priced at $121 per month, while the more expensive service is $170 per month.

Bryant says AI is revolutionising many industries and his team believes farming should be one of them.

"Applied AI can help dairy farmers drive huge improvements in pasture measurement, management automation, profit and sustainability.

"We’ve been talking about Aimer Vision for a while now, and it’s exciting to have refined the product to a point where it’s ready for wide launch and a potential game-changer for users."

First launched in 2022 as a digital coach for dairy farmers, Aimer is used on over 170 farms in New Zealand and Australia, and is included in distribution partnerships with the likes of Fonterra Farm Source.

It now pairs a huge database of on-farm pasture growth data with unique AI algorithms, leading to the official launch of Aimer Vision to New Zealand farmers.

Phil Townend, chief commercial officer, believes the potential of the new service extends well beyond the farm gate.

"Aimer is building the world's largest pasture productivity database, which could help global food corporations measure sustainability from farm to product, and input suppliers understand the efficacy of their products. The value of this data, alongside the productivity gains, is significant."

New Zealand's dairy sector is a key driver of the economy, but rising costs, labour shortages, and stricter environmental expectations mean farmers must find smarter ways to operate, he says.

"AI-driven solutions offer a way to boost efficiency without increasing workforce pressure, helping farms remain competitive in a changing global market."

Jeremy Bryant says pasture management is a complex puzzle, demanding constant calculations, predictions and communication.

By building a 'digital twin' of each paddock on every farm, Aimer learns growth rate patterns, predicts pasture performance and offers tailored recommendations, from supplement levels to grazing plans.

By working to deliver more precise pasture data to Aimer’s underlying models, Aimer Vision can help optimise grazing patterns and feed management, directly contributing to increased farm productivity.

This makes it a powerful way to make sure farmers save even more time by making inputs easy and instant, Bryant says.

No specialised skills are required to use the app, which helps with labour management.

And it can allow farmers to forecast pasture growth up to 21 days in advance, improving planning and resource allocation.