Step 1
Photograph the sward
Stand over the pasture and take a photo with your phone — the same walk you already do, without carrying a plate meter.
No hardware needed
A plate meter alternative that lives on your phone
Pasture Ai estimates pasture cover in kgDM/ha from a photo of the sward — plus DM%, CP%, MJME and NDF% that a plate meter never measures. No plate meter, no probes, no extra gear on the farm bike.
Can you replace a plate meter with an app?
Yes — Pasture Ai is built to do the job a rising plate meter does on a farm walk, using a phone camera instead of a device. You photograph the sward, the model returns an estimate of pasture cover in kgDM/ha, and the reading is saved against the paddock so you can track it over time.
The practical difference is what else comes back. A plate meter gives you compressed height, which you convert to cover. Pasture Ai returns cover alongside feed quality — dry matter percentage, crude protein, metabolisable energy and neutral detergent fibre — from the same photo, so grazing and supplement decisions come from one reading rather than a meter reading plus a lab test.
Consistency matters either way. Just as plate meter readings depend on a consistent walk pattern, photo estimates get better the more consistently you shoot: same height above the sward, same angle, even light. Calibration settings for your grazing type and season help line the numbers up with what you see on farm.
Plate meter vs Pasture Ai
A practical comparison of what each approach needs and what each one gives you back.
| Rising plate meter | Pasture Ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment to buy | A dedicated plate meter | None — the phone in your pocket |
| Equipment to carry | Carried on every walk | Nothing extra |
| Readings per paddock | Many drops, averaged by hand or device | Average up to 10 photo assessments per paddock |
| Metrics captured | Height and compressed height | Pasture cover kgDM/ha, DM%, CP%, MJME, NDF% |
| Feed quality data | Not measured | Included with every assessment |
| Record keeping | Manual entry or a separate download | Saved automatically to your account history |
| Feed wedge and growth rate | Built separately in a spreadsheet | Built from your assessments on the Farm Walk plan |
| Shared across a team | One device, one person | Any phone, tablet or laptop on the same account |
| Calibration | Device calibration and formulas | Self-calibration by grazing type and season |
Comparison covers equipment, workflow and the metrics each method reports. Pasture Ai estimates are model outputs — calibrate to your farm and keep your photo method consistent.
How a photo becomes a pasture cover reading
Step 2
The model reads it
Pasture Ai analyses species, height, density, colour and structure in the image.
Step 3
Get your numbers
Pasture cover in kgDM/ha plus DM%, CP%, MJME and NDF%, saved to your paddock history automatically.
What every assessment returns
- Pasture cover (kgDM/ha)
- The headline number for allocating a break or planning a round.
- DM% — dry matter
- How much of the sward is actual dry matter rather than water.
- CP% — crude protein
- Protein in the feed on offer.
- MJME — metabolisable energy
- Feeds straight into the built-in feed budget calculator.
- NDF% — neutral detergent fibre
- Fibre level, useful for rumen function and intake.
- Saved history
- Every scan stored against the paddock, exportable at any time.
Get the app
Download Pasture Ai free on iPhone or Android and take your first paddock photo today. Works on the web too.
Leave the plate meter in the shed
Walk the farm with the phone you already carry and come back with cover and feed quality for every paddock.
A card is required to start the trial. Cancel anytime from your Account page or email support@pastureai.ai.