Paddocktrac: bluetooth-enabled pasture monitoring system for precision forage management
PaddockTrac is an ATV-mounted, Bluetooth ultrasonic sensor system that rapidly measures pasture height and converts it to biomass estimates via a mobile app. It dramatically reduces the time required for forage inventory, enabling producers to adopt managed grazing practices that can increase forage production by up to 30% and utilization by at least 50%.
Overview
PaddockTrac is a pasture monitoring system designed to replace slow, manual forage measurement tools such as rising plate meters and grazing sticks. By integrating a Bluetooth ultrasonic sensor with a smartphone application, the platform enables forage managers to collect pasture height data at 50 Hz while driving an ATV across their fields. Each measurement is automatically tagged with GPS coordinates, allowing producers to organize data into field-specific polygons within a secure farm account.
The system directly addresses a key barrier to adoption of managed grazing: the time burden of traditional forage inventory methods. Published research indicates that managed grazing systems can produce up to 30% more forage and improve utilization by at least 50% compared to continuous grazing, but producers often avoid these practices because measurement is too laborious. PaddockTrac removes that barrier by delivering rapid, spatially organized biomass estimates that fit easily into routine farm operations.
Technical specifications
Key features:
- ATV-mounted Bluetooth ultrasonic sensor captures pasture height at 50 Hz
- Companion mobile application available on Android and iOS receives data wirelessly from the sensor
- GPS coordinates are appended to each height reading for spatial mapping
- Users define field polygons within a secure server-based farm account for organized data management
- Proprietary equations convert raw height measurements into biomass estimates, adjusted for forage species and time of year
- GIS-compatible data structure supports layering with additional environmental variables such as carbon sequestration and soil water content
Technology readiness level
PaddockTrac has been validated through an NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant that supported 20 beta testers, concluding in July 2021. The system was developed in response to a real research need to evaluate forage yield across hundreds of plots under different treatments and timing regimens, demonstrating practical utility beyond laboratory conditions. With an estimated $10,000 in additional funding, the team can outfit five additional producers with hardware to broaden data collection. Current development priorities include expanding sampling of environmental variables to quantify carbon sequestration and soil water responses in rotationally managed versus continuously grazed systems.
About University of Missouri, Columbia
Founded as Missouri’s flagship land‑grant, the University of Missouri–Columbia is a comprehensive public research university serving a large student body and partners statewide. Industry engages on campus through co‑located research cores, a research park and incubator in Columbia, and access to a high‑power university research reactor supporting isotope production and advanced testing. An integrated academic health system enables clinical studies and translation, while a statewide extension and agricultural research network links companies to field sites, producers, and community testbeds across Missouri. Research is supported by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NIH, NSF, USDA, and DOE. A dedicated tech transfer office supports IP, licensing, and sponsored‑research agreements.
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