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Disclaimer

The Commonwealth of Australia represented by Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) in conjunction with Meat and Livestock Australia Limited (MLA) have developed this web-based climate and pasture assessment toolset to assist producers manage risk and increase productivity (system).

By accessing this system, each user waives and releases BRS and MLA to the full extent permitted by law from all liability for loss or damage arising from the use of, or reliance on, material or information made available through the system, whether or not caused by any negligence on the part of BRS or MLA or their agents. In no event will BRS or MLA be liable for any incidental or consequential damages resulting from use of or reliance on this system.

Third party material

The system relies on information, data and models that have been obtained from a variety of third party sources over which BRS and MLA have no control. BRS and MLA do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any third party information, data, models or systems contained on the website. Due to these inherent uncertainties, the system may not be accurate in certain situations.

Third party data, models and forecasts incorporated into the system include:

  1. the plant model used in this system. The model was sourced from http://cres.anu.edu.au/outputs/growest.php
  2. data which has been sourced from http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/silo/ and http://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/silo/ppd/index.php;
  3. the forecasts (rainfall and pasture) which are based on a system developed by http://www.bom.gov.au.

Forecasts and projections are imprecise and subject to a high degree of uncertainty and may be subject to errors. BRS and MLA make no representations about the accuracy of the forecasts derived using this system. Before relying on the material on this website or information contained in it, or forecasts derived from the system, users should independently verify its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes, and should obtain appropriate independent professional advice.

GrowEst and the Spatial Toolsets model

The GrowEst model is a simple model that defines a “Growth Index” (GI) as an indicator of potential pasture growth. It does not predict pasture growth rate.

The GI takes into account available solar radiation (light), temperature and soil water and so, even when water is non-limiting, the GI will generally vary throughout the year.

If GI is 100%, then growth conditions are as good as they can be, and if it is 0% then there is no growth.

There are some limitations in this approach, all models involve some form of compromise. More detailed models require greater parameter input and take longer to run computationally. The advantage of GrowEst is that it is simple and generic in structure, has a small number of parameters, and can be run at a practical level at many sites across the country.

Users are encouraged to look at the predictions from GrowEst and to assess the performance of their pastures based on their own experience. Paddocks will vary depending on pasture species, soil, aspect, management and other factors and these need to be taken into account when interpreting the Growth Index.