C-Dax Pasture Meter XC1 With Auto Lift

Tried, tested and true.

The C-Dax Pasture Meter is a simple to use device designed to electronically measure grass cover to enable farmers to make timely decisions from consistently accurate data for planning grazing rotations, identifying potential feed surpluses or shortages, and to fully utilise their pasture resource to enable their farming operation to realise its full potential. PLUS with XC1 you can get all the benefits of the cross-platform C-Dax solution and use your XC1 Smart Control console for your spreading with the new C-Dax C-DIT 400 & C-DIT 1300 spreaders. 

Features

High strength design weighing in at 75kg to eliminate bouncing, combined with advanced sensor technology enables speeds of up to 20kph while taking readings of 200 measurements per second—that’s 18,500 readings over a single 500m pass.

Unlike other devices, rain, dust, operator weight, rough ground, temperature, humidity, or hill slopes does not affect Pasture Meters accuracy. Bundled options ensure you have everything you need right from the start including ongoing support from the team at C-Dax.

The XC1 model utilises GPS and has full integration with FarmKeeper software, a powerful farm mapping and recording application, to enable auto-paddock recognition.

PLUS with XC1 you can get all the benefits of the cross-platform C-Dax solution and use your XC1 Smart Control console for your spreading with the new C-DIT 400 & 1300. 

The Auto Lift Kit saves you time and effort by not having to get off the bike to lift the device for gateways and tracks, so you can just get on and go.

Pastoral 21 results for C-Dax Pasture Meter

During 2008, AgResearch, DairyNZ and Massey University with support of Pastoral 21 Feeds Program conducted extensive independent calibration of the C-Dax Pasture Meter on dairy pastures throughout New Zealand. Pastoral 21 is funded by NZ Governments Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST), DairyNZ, Fonterra and Meat &Wool NZ.
Standardised trials were run in Northland (Dargaville), Waikato (Ruakura), Taranaki (Hawera), Canterbury (Lincoln) and Southland (Wallacetown). The results of these trials are shown in the table below. C-Dax are pleased to provide you this information on behalf of the Pastoral 21 team.
Results to date indicate that 35-40mm on the C-Dax Pasture Meter is equivalent to 7–8 clicks and is the desired post-grazing residual to ensure cows are offered high quality pasture in subsequent grazings.
Measuring post grazing residual height with the C-Dax Pasture Meter as the cows are being collected for milking provides instantaneous feedback on feeding levels and enables staff to make objective decisions on feed allocation for the next grazing period i.e. sending the herd back to that paddock to achieve the desired residual or moving them to a new paddock.

Table 1. VALID FOR THE C-DAX PASTURE METER ONLY
For ease of use the calibration equations have been restricted to a single constant and multiplier and are only valid for use with C-Dax Pasture Meter. These average calibration equations for each region provide a great starting point if you generally use one calibration equation throughout the year.

SPEED
High strength design combined with advanced sensor technology enables the C-Dax Pasture Meter to be used at speeds of up to 20kph—allowing fast, accurate pasture measurement.  
At this speed, Pasture Meter will take up to 200 measurements per second—or 18,500 readings over a single 500m pass—compared to perhaps 250 readings over the same distance with a rising plate meter!

EASE & ACCURACY
Not only does this system allow quick and easy measurement of grass but it also means that anyone can use it, independent of skills or training. If you can ride an ATV you can use Pasture Meter.
The readings are totally independent of the user so you will always get consistently accurate and comparable data no matter who is using it, what their skill level is or vehicle dynamics are. So unlike ultrasonic or plate meters, rain, dust, operator weight, rough ground, temperature, humidity, or hill slopes do not affect Pasture Meter’s accuracy.

EFFICIENCY
Accurate pasture measurement won’t just tell you how much feed you have. It will also easily identify areas of poor production that need attention, enabling more efficient fertiliser application and helping reduce your input costs.

FORECASTING AND UTILISATION
Establish a feed budgeting forecast and the potential to greatly improve pasture utilisation, which in times of feed shortages can help you plan your grazing round. As the season progresses, identify possible feed surpluses for extra hay or silage.
It’s also ideal for calculating break feed sizes—increasing pasture utilisation up to 15%.

EASY RECORD KEEPING AND TRACKING
Transfer data directly onto your computer for accurate and easy record keeping, seasonal tracking, and comparisons. Full integration with FarmKeeper software, a powerful farm mapping and recording application, enables the autopaddock recognition. Bundled options ensure you have everything you need right from the start including ongoing support from the team at C-Dax.
XC1 utilises GPS and information technology to work seamlessly ensuring well-informed decisions can be made quickly and efficiently.

Specifications

• GPS and full integration with FarmKeeper Software
• Auto-paddock recognition
• Auto Lift kit for real convenience—no more stopping for tracks and gateways
• Ongoing support from C-Dax
• Weight: 75kg
• Dimensions:
  Width (transport position) 1145mm
  Width (measurement position) 1285mm
  Length 1330mm; Height 700mm
• Maximum height reading: 370mm
• Minimum height reading: 10mm
• Comes with:
  XC1 Smart Control console
  Indicator console
  Mounting bracket
  Connecting cable
  Feed management software