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Agricultural Information & Monitoring Services was formed
by Judi and Lewis in 1998 to provide an evidence-based consultancy
to graziers to improve the profitability and health of grazing businesses.
AIMS works with the concept of understanding agricultural ecosystems
and relies on sound underlying principles rather than particular
recipes. AIMS has worked with graziers in the north-west slopes,
northern tablelands and northern rivers of NSW and the mid-north
and northern agricultural districts of South Australia.
More specifically AIMS:
• Provides project management for government agencies (e.g.
catchment management authorities) and producer groups
• Provides consultancy services to graziers to design grazing,
soil fertility and animal feeding plans
• Trains graziers in the 3-day Pasture & Grazing Management
Workshop which currently has 500 graduates
• Works with groups of graziers to measure key indicators
of pasture performance such as growth rate, water use efficiency
and utilisation
• Manages an on-line database which stores pasture performance
data and allows graziers to access this regional data
• Conducts field-based scientific research on grazing management
• Conducted vegetation surveys including those targeting
specific species such as Lippia canescens and Bothriochloa biloba
• Worked with groups on numerous Producer Initiated Research
and Development (PIRD) projects which have investigated issues
such as improving winter growth rates in cattle, nonchemical worm
control in sheep, vitamin B12 deficiency in cattle, use of faecal
NIRS to estimate cattle growth rates
• Worked with numerous Paired Paddock Productivity groups
to evaluate the response of pasture growth rate, animal performance
and stocking rate to optimising soil chemical fertility
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