A grass measuring app that uses the camera you already own
Measuring grass used to mean a plate meter, a rising plate, or an educated eye. Pasture Ai does it from a photo — stand over the sward, take the shot, and get a cover estimate in seconds.
How measuring grass with a photo works
Pasture Ai's model reads the sward in the image — height, density, colour, species and structure — and converts that into an estimate of pasture cover in kilograms of dry matter per hectare. It is the same job a rising plate meter does, done by the phone in your pocket.
Because the camera sees the whole sward, the app also returns feed quality metrics a plate meter cannot: dry matter percentage, crude protein, metabolisable energy (MJME) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF%).
Consistent photos, consistent numbers
Any grass measuring method lives or dies on consistency — plate meters included. With Pasture Ai, shoot from the same height and angle each time, in even light, and use the calibration settings to match estimates to your grazing type and season. You can average up to 10 photo assessments per paddock for a steadier reading.
Every measurement saves to your paddock history automatically, so weekly walks build a growth curve without any data entry.
From measuring grass to managing feed
A measurement on its own is just a number. Pasture Ai turns the numbers into decisions: a feed wedge across the farm, days of feed ahead, and a feed budget calculator that uses the MJME from your own assessments rather than book values.
Why farmers measure grass with Pasture Ai
- Nothing extra to buy or carry — just your phone
- Cover in kgDM/ha plus DM%, CP%, MJME and NDF% from one photo
- Average up to 10 assessments per paddock for consistency
- Automatic history builds a growth curve week after week
- Feed wedge and feed budget built from your own readings
- Works offline in the paddock and syncs when you are back in coverage
Frequently asked questions
Can an app really measure grass accurately?
Photo-based estimates are model outputs, so treat them like any measurement method: keep your photo technique consistent, calibrate to your farm, and the relative paddock-to-paddock rankings and trends are what drive good decisions.
What metrics does the app return?
Pasture cover in kgDM/ha, dry matter percentage, crude protein, metabolisable energy (MJME) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF%), all saved against the paddock.
Does it replace a rising plate meter?
It is built to do the same job on a farm walk — see our plate meter alternative page for a side-by-side comparison of equipment, workflow and metrics.
Which phones does it work on?
iOS and Android via the app stores, and any modern browser through the web app.
Measure grass on your next walk
Download the app, photograph a paddock, and see your first cover estimate in under a minute.
A card is required to start the trial. Cancel anytime from your Account page or email support@pastureai.ai.