Decision Support Tools
Currently there are four DST tools - GrassGro, GrazFeed, Whopper Cropper and Soil Carbon Manager - in teaching use at UNE - available using the ed-serve thin client system.
Other DST tools are under consideration for use in a wide range of degree programs.
GrassGro
GrassGro “helps analyse opportunities and risks that variable weather imposes on the profitability and sustainability of grazing systems” (http://www.hzn.com.au/grassgro.php)
For more information and to see a demonstration of the model, go to the CSIRO page at: http://www.grazplan.csiro.au/?q=node/1
Some history ...
The GrassGro Teaching Project commenced at UNE in 1999. It aimed to provide an integrated approach to teaching and learning utilising Decision Support Tools. A 'National Teaching Grant - Organisational' project (1999-2001) with a consortium of UNE, CSIRO and Horizon Agriculture allowed this concept to be developed. This project provided a basis for the use of GrassGro within the regular teaching framework of Rural Science, Natural Resources and Agricultural Economics at UNE.
The photo on the right shows a class using GrassGro via an early 'thin client' system back in 2001!
GrassGro is a commercial computer software package, developed by CSIRO Plant Industry, which provides predictive outcomes (both biological and economic) for agricultural systems in a wide diversity of environments. GrassGro is currently being used as a learning tool in a wide range of topics from 1st to 4th year subjects at UNE to explore interactions within grazed ecosystems over time.
Collaborative Decision Support Tools project (2002-2005)
A project supported by Australian Wool Innovation, brought about the active involvement of 6 universities who regularly used wool industry relevant DST made available through this project. Of these 6 universities, some 12 campuses and approximately 30 lecturers were involved, through training in GrassGro, and teaching with wool industry DST in a relevant way for their units.
Two keys to the success of this project were having a dedicated Decision Support Specialist (Ms Helen Daily) and an IT server expert (Mr James Reid) to support students and staff.
Growth of users (in terms of students numbers) was readily achieved, albeit with fluctuations of usage due to semester breaks, biennially offered units, problems with housing large classes in appropriately equipped internet computer suites, and new classes coming on board.
The chart on the right shows the number of student logins using the ed-serve 'thin client' system between 2003 and 2005 within this project.
GrazFeed
GrazFeed “is a decision support tool developed in CSIRO Plant Industry to help graziers improve the profitability of livestock production, through more efficient use of pastures and supplementary feeds. GrazFeed is regarded as the industry benchmark for the nutrition of grazing animals in temperate Australia” (http://www.hzn.com.au/grazfeed.php).
To see a demonstration of the model, go to the CSIRO page at: http://www.grazplan.csiro.au/?q=node/2
GrazFeed is a Decision Support Tool developed by CSIRO Plant Industry that provides a simple way of applying feeding standards to grazing animals. The main object of the program is to help farmers and graziers to make the best use of their pastures, to minimize the use of expensive supplements and to select the most efficient supplement where feeding is necessary.
The user enters information about the condition of the pasture and about the animals grazing it. The program then estimates the animal production obtainable from the pasture and shows the extent to which production might be improved through supplementation.
GrazFeed is suitable for any type of pasture but is not designed for rangelands where shrubs and isolated plants make up much of the vegetation. The program is suitable for any breed of sheep or cattle; a generality that is achieved by scaling the biological functions in the program to the mature weight of the particular animal and breed type that is selected. These functions conform to the recommendations in ‘Feeding Standards for Australian Livestock - Ruminants’ (1990), prepared for the Standing Committee on Agriculture, with continuing modifications to keep it up-to-date.
GrazFeed is intended to be an easy way of applying predictions of feed intake based on the Feeding Standards report and then formulating recommendations on energy and protein requirements for particular livestock and pasture situations.
Whopper Cropper
Is an easy-to-use tool to access cropping systems modelling and seasonal climate information developed by APSRU. It is a database of previously run simulations using the powerful cropping systems model APSIM. This tool is used by selecting from a wide range of crop types for a particular locality and then choosing from a range of options - such as the level of starting soil moisture, density of plants, sowing date and soil nitrogen levels.
For more information about Whopper Cropper, click here http://www.apsim.info/apsim/Products/default.asp.
Soil Carbon Manager
Is an interactive program that predicts changes in soil carbon for different crop and pasture rotations and stubble management. It was developed in 1998 by the CRC for Soil & Land Management (CRCSLM, 1998).
“It is designed with the user in mind, needing a minimum of soil, plant and climatic information to run, but the user can add or access detailed information provided. It can be run from one to 1000 years and provides graphical and tabular results of organic matter pools. Soil organic carbon is the basis of good soil structure and an important source of plant nutrients and provides the energy driver for biological activity”.Reference:
CRCSLM (1998). Soil Carbon Manager. A decision support tool to assist in developing managementstrategies for sustainable agro-ecosystems. Cooperative Research Centre for Soil and Land Management, Adelaide, S. A. (http://www1.crca.asn.au/resource_materials/Issue3.pdf).