Plate meter (2024)

FAQs

What is a plate meter? ›

A rising plate meter is a device that consists of a weighted plate that slides over a shaft. As the meter is placed over a sward (grassy surface) of forage, the forage is compressed until it will support the plate's weight and the shaft passes through the sward to the ground.

Benefits of a Plate Meter

The plate meter measures the grass height, which is converted into kg DM, an equation will make this conversion for you. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of each reading, it is important to regularly carry out maintenance of the plate reader.

Method 2: The second method uses the plate meter. Subtract the ideal post grazing height/residual (e.g. 4cm) from the height of the grass in the paddock. Multiply the figure you get by 250 as there is 250kg DM/cm.

Platemeters measure average grass Height & Density, showing yield in KgDM/Ha. Sward Assessment – Platemeters are the most accurate way of assessing the best time to let cows into & remove from pastures.

A rising plate meter, also known as a RPM is a tool used to measure the quantity of pasture in a paddock. This reading can inform you of how much pasture you have on hand and how quickly your pasture is growing.

Grasshopper is the most accurate grass cover measurement system available on the market today. The Grasshopper algorithm was developed and validated over a three year period by True North Technologies and at the Moorepark Grassland Research Station in Ireland.

An instrument that measures the flow of liquids, gases, or electricity is a meter. Meters may also be used to measure other physical data such as capacity, speed, or distance. Meters are found almost everywhere.

A meter rule is a device which is used to measure length of different objects. A meter rule of length 1m is equal to 100 centimeters (cm). On meter rule each cm is divided further in to 10 divisions which are called millimeters (mm). So, a meter rule can measure up to 1mm as smallest reading.

The Meter Stick. The basic unit of length in the metric system is the meter. A meter stick is exactly one meter long and is a very useful instrument in science. You can use a meter stick to measure objects and lengths less than a meter and more than a meter.

The main points when measuring are to get a good representation of the paddock's grass cover and measure at least once per week during the grass growing season.

How do you measure grass yield? ›

The process of measuring grass using the quadrant cut method (also known as the cut and weigh method) involves cutting grass found within the quadrant, weight them and applying mathematical formulae to estimate the grass yield in kg DM/ha.

For grazing, the optimum NDF content of grass should be in the 30-40% range total DM, with dNDF 20-30% of DM, or approximately 60-75% of the total fibre content in a digestible form.

Rising plate meters cost somewhere around $300 to $1,200, depending on the model you buy.

Measuring grass enables the grassland farmer to make better informed and more effective grassland management and grazing decisions.

Measuring pasture height using the ruler/stick method

Draw a mark 0.5cm from the bottom, then every 1cm along the stick. Readings between 0.5cm and 1.5cm will be recorded as 1cm, readings between 1.5cm and 2.5cm as 2cm etc. Measure the height from at least 50 sites chosen at random as you cross the paddock.

Once you have the average height in inches of the forage in your pasture, multiply it by 200. This is an average estimate of pounds of dry matter per acre per inch of forage height. For example, if your grass is 10 inches tall, multiply 10 x 200 to get 2000 lbs/acre of dry matter.

Measure lawn on an App

Geo Planimeter, this app allows you to drop a series of pins on to your lawn to create an accurate layout of your lawn, with perimeter and area measurements.

During the growing season, you may start to see some clumps of grass in your lawn that just out of place. It grows a little bit faster, is generally a lot greener, and frankly stands out like a sore thumb. It's probably Tall Fescue.

To avoid these issues, Dr Davies advises farmers to use a simple and relatively low-cost refractometer – the same device used to measure colostrum quality. It gives an instant and relatively accurate reading of the grass sugar content. The nitrate content can also be analysed on-farm, using a meter or testing strips.

Which tool is 1 yard long and is used in measuring? ›

A meterstick, metrestick, or yardstick is either a straightedge or foldable ruler used to measure length, and is especially common in the construction industry. They are often made of wood or plastic, and often have metal or plastic joints so that they can be folded together.

Important: The calibration plate must be calibrated for the wavelength you normally use for testing (e.g., 630 nm, 650 nm, 450 nm). The calibration can be performed by the manufacturer of the calibration plate.

When it comes to the accuracy, calibrated plates are very precise and the weight of each plate needs to come in at 0.25% or 10 grams (whichever is lighter). This is why they are referred to as calibrated.

Annually. If you do a mix of critical and non-critical measurements, annual calibration tends to strike the right balance between prudence and cost. Biannually. If you seldom do critical measurements and don't expose your meter to an event, calibration at long frequencies can be cost-effective.

Since “penta” is the prefix for five, we call this metrical form “iambic pentameter,” the most common meter in English poetry.

1 m is equivalent to 1.0936 yards, or 39.370 inches.

A meter is a standard metric unit equal to about 3 feet 3 inches. This means that a meter is part of the metric system of measurement. Guitars, baseball bats, and yard sticks are examples of objects that are about one meter long. Meters are also used to measure distances in races, such as running and swimming.

The required verification of the master meter's accuracy can be established by using a displacement type or a volumetric tank prover. This should be completed prior to the start of any transfer when product characteristics (products, temperature, pressure, density, viscosity) have changed since last master meter use.

On March 30, 1791, the French Academy of Sciences defined the length of a meter. Before this date, there were two definitions to this measure of length: The first was based on the length of a pendulum and the second was based on a fraction of the length of a half-meridian, or line of longitude.

A meter rule of length 1m is equal to 100 centimeters (cm). On the meter rule, each cm is divided further into 10 divisions which are called millimeters (mm). Some meter rules are calibrated in inches or feet. The reading accuracy of a metre rule is 1 mm or 0.1 cm.

What is the difference between a ruler and a meter stick? ›

A ruler can only measure up to 12 inches, a yardstick can only measure up to 3 feet (or 36 inches), and a meter stick is about the same size as a yardstick. Measuring tape can measure up to 25 feet.

The tape measure is mainly used for decoration and other projects, while the meter ruler is mainly used for teaching. 2. The length of the tape measure generally ranges from 3 to 5 meters, while the length of the meter ruler is only about 1 meter.

When an object is measured in a same manner, a vernier caliper has a greater precision than a meterstick and a micrometer has a greater precision than a vernier caliper. A measurement reading should have one more significant figure than the smallest subdivision marked on the scale.

The ideal length of your lawn depends on your climate, but most experts agree you should keep your grass between 2 1/2 inches to three inches long, with the last cut of the season remaining the same.

Mowing actually helps make your grass grow thicker because the tip of each blade contains hormones that suppress horizontal growth. When you cut the lawn, you remove these tips allowing the grass to spread and grow thicker near the roots.

Mowing too short or scalping results in stress to the grass plant. Weak grass plants will take longer to recover. To maintain a 3-inch lawn, mow before the grass reaches 4.5 inches tall. Mowing too short can allow weed seeds to get more sun and increase the chance of germination.

hours to mow one acre x 60 minutes = minutes to mow one acre

Here's an example: if the normal, safe mowing speed of a 21" walk-behind is 3 mph, then multiply 3 x 18.9 inches (0.9 x 21") to get 56.7. Divide 108.9 by 56.7 and get the answer 1.9206 or 1.92 hrs. Multiply that by 60 minutes to get the answer of 115 minutes.

The dry matter (DM) content of grass and forage is measured as a percentage and represents the proportion of total components (fibres, proteins, ash, water-soluble carbohydrates, lipids, etc) remaining after water has been removed. Knowing the dry matter percentage of grass and forage is important.

If the lawn is a square or rectangle, multiply the length and width (in feet). For a triangular area, multiply the height by one-half the base. If the area is circular, take the ra- dius of the circle, square it, and multiply that by pi.

Grass naturally goes dormant after two to three weeks without water, and most lawns can tolerate drought for four to six weeks, although they will turn brown. However, extended periods of hot, dry weather may kill the lawn.

Is hay considered dry matter? ›

For example, hay and grain are normally 90% dry matter (10% water) while pasture is 20% dry matter (80% water).

Spreading Topsoil

Topdressing the lawn with topsoil, however, is a good way to smooth bumpy areas and level low spots that collect water. In most cases, a lawn can withstand the addition of a soil layer that is only 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

The Fisco Road-Meter is a robust measuring wheel designed for professional surveying, highway and site work. The high quality construction enables the wheel to withstand rigorous use whilst the high visibility yellow offers added safety for highway use.

A metre ruler is a gadget or a sort of ruler that is used to measure the length and distance of various objects. A metre rule has a length of one metre, which is equal to one hundred centimetres, as the name suggests.

Methods of Measuring Grass

Grass can be measured in KgDM/Ha (Kilograms Dry Matter per Hectare) or in cm (centimetres). Every 1cm has approximately 250kgDm/Ha for cattle farms or 350kgDM/Ha for sheep farms (mixed cattle and sheep farms are around 300kgDM/Ha).

Accuracy

When it comes to weight accuracy, calibrated plates are simply the most precise plates you can invest in. As an example, while 44 lbs vs 46 lbs may not appear to be a significant difference on the surface, it can be pretty noticeable when loading several plates on each side.

A surveyor's wheel, also called a clickwheel, hodometer, waywiser, trundle wheel, measuring wheel or perambulator is a device for measuring distance.

For example, the instrument uncertainty of a meter stick is usually 0.1 cm.

1 Metre Rules All metre rules shall be rectangular cross section and shall be of one of the following types ( see figure 1): Type 1 – A rule 1 m long, 25 mm wide and 5 mm thick, with the ¼ , ½ and ¾ length indicated by lines across one face only.

What is the steel rule? ›

A steel rule is exactly what it sounds like... a rule manufactured from either spring or stainless steel that feature either metric or imperial (or both) scales along its length. One end is usually flat whilst the other end (frequently including a hole for hanging) is usually round.

For a typical residential Midwest lawn, maintain a height of 3 inches or higher. Taller grass shades out weed seeds and keeps soil cooler. Taller grass means longer roots and greater ability to withstand drought and reach nutrients.

The top setting for most mowers gives a cutting height between 3.25 and 4 inches. This is best for your lawn, but at a setting of 4 inches you may sometimes see some “laying-over” of turf blades that some people find undesirable. For this reason, some people prefer to mow at 3 or 3.5 inches.