Foragecaster: empowering Australian farmers with data-driven insights

The Australian livestock industry faces unique challenges, from unpredictable weather patterns to evolving demands for sustainable practices. To address these challenges, the Foragecaster project has been developed to provide farmers with data-driven tools and insights. This post will explain what Foragecaster is, why it’s important, and how it aims to support the industry.

What is Foragecaster?

Foragecaster is a four-year research and development project focused on creating a livestock supply forecaster. It utilises domain models and machine learning to provide more accurate predictions and planning tools. The project’s goals include:

• Improving grazing planning: Developing tools that consider different weather scenarios to optimise grazing strategies.
• Understanding pasture quality: Assessing not just the quantity, but also the nutritional value and lifecycle stage of pastures.
• Accurate livestock growth prediction: Using machine learning to predict livestock weight gain more accurately than traditional methods.
• Enhancing sustainability reporting: Providing tools to measure and report on sustainability metrics, such as emissions and land health.

Why is Foragecaster important for the Australian livestock industry?

The project addresses key challenges faced by Australian livestock farmers:

• Planning in uncertainty: Weather forecasting can be unreliable. Foragecaster enables planning for multiple rainfall scenarios (high, moderate, low), improving preparedness for varied outcomes.
• Data-driven decision making: By integrating farm records with research data, the project provides accurate forecasts and recommendations, moving beyond estimates.
• Optimised pasture management: Understanding pasture quality helps farmers make better grazing decisions, ensuring animal nutrition and preventing overgrazing.
• Improved livestock management: Accurate weight predictions assist in managing livestock growth and timing sales, enhancing efficiency with analytics to analyse effective drivers of productivity.
• Sustainability reporting: Providing tools for measuring and reporting sustainability metrics helps farmers meet evolving industry standards and determine the practices that drive change.
• Enhancing farm resilience: By analysing historical data, the project aims to identify factors that contribute to farm resilience during challenges like droughts.

What has been achieved so far?

Foragecaster has already produced tangible outputs:

• Movement Planner and Grazing Planner: Released in phases, allowing farmers to plan livestock movements and incorporate feed availability.
• Feed planning: Streamlining the process of scheduling feed runs and automating record creation.
• Pasture quality assessment (in research phase): Developing methods to evaluate pasture quality based on lifecycle stage, classifications, and digestibility.
• Livestock weight prediction models (in research phase): Utilising machine learning to create more accurate weight prediction models than simple linear extrapolation.

Interested in shaping the future of Foragecaster?

To further improve and refine the project, we are inviting farmers to join the beta program. Participants will:

• Help improve machine learning: Their farm data will contribute to making the models more accurate for their region.
• Influence product development: Feedback and insights will shape the future development of Foragecaster.
• Gain early access to new features: Beta testers will have the opportunity to use new tools and provide feedback before general release.

The future of Foragecaster

The long-term vision for Foragecaster is to provide a comprehensive tool for Australian livestock farmers, offering insights to support data-driven decisions. Ongoing research, beta testing, and continuous development will contribute to a more sustainable and productive future for the industry.

By utilising data and technology, the Australian livestock industry can better navigate its challenges and improve long-term outcomes. Foragecaster is a project designed to provide the tools needed for this progress.

We’d love to have you join our Beta group. It’s a great way to get early access to new features, provide feedback, and help us build something that works for producers like you. Click here to join the Beta group – it only takes a couple of minutes to get started. You can find step-by-step instructions here. Joining the beta program is done through the AgriWebb Marketplace, and all data remains confidential and owned by the farmer.

**If you’d like to hear more about this project, here is the recording of our recent webinar.