Aimer Farming is gaining momentum in international pasture-based dairy markets, with its AI-powered pasture intelligence technology, AIMER, set to launch in the United Kingdom this July.
The UK launch marks the next stage of growth for Aimer Farming, which developed AIMER in New Zealand and launched the technology commercially here in 2023. AIMER is already being used on more than 650 farms with over 10,000 pasture measurements recorded each week. It is now attracting interest from pasture-based dairy markets overseas.
Aimer Farming Founder and CTO Jeremy Bryant says the growth reflects a common challenge across grazing systems: farmers need faster, more accurate and consistent ways to measure pasture and turn that information into actionable insights.
“AIMER was born here in New Zealand, out of the real challenges farmers face in accurately measuring pasture consistently and using that information well to make decisions,” says Jeremy.
“Those challenges are not unique to New Zealand. Pasture-based farmers around the world are dealing with the same pressures around time, labour, feed costs and decision-making.”
Jeremy says AIMER’s growth has been shaped strongly by its New Zealand customer base.
“New Zealand farmers have played a big part in shaping the platform from the start,” he says.
“Their feedback, their farm systems and their willingness to adopt new tools have helped us build technology that is practical, farmer-friendly and now relevant to other pasture-based markets.”
AIMER combines a smartphone app for pasture measurement with an online web app to help farmers reduce the time, labour and guesswork involved in grass measurement. Farmers can measure pasture using a short smartphone video in the paddock, with the platform turning that into an estimated pasture cover in kilograms of dry matter per hectare. The data is then used to support decisions around grazing, supplementation, rotation management and feed planning.
The UK launch follows 18 months of testing and development on commercial dairy farms through Aimer Farming’s exclusive UK distribution partner, Precision Grazing.
During that time, thousands of pasture covers and videos were collected to adapt AIMER for UK grass species, weather patterns and grazing systems, helping ensure the technology delivers reliable pasture cover estimates under UK conditions.
Precision Grazing founder James Daniel says the partnership has focused on making sure AIMER is genuinely useful for UK farmers and their grazing systems.
“UK grazing systems are different from New Zealand, both in terms of climate and grass species, so the technology needed to be properly trained and validated here,” says James.
“That’s why we’ve spent the past 18 months collecting UK pasture measurements and testing the software on commercial dairy farms. The focus has been on ensuring the outputs are robust, reliable and useful for UK farmers.”
James says the fact AIMER was developed in New Zealand and shaped by Kiwi farmers gives the technology credibility as it enters the UK market.
“New Zealand farmers are among the best in the world at managing pasture-based systems, so the fact AIMER has been developed there and tested on commercial farms gives it real credibility here in the UK.”
James says the value of AIMER is not just in making pasture measurement faster, but in helping farmers use that information more effectively.
“Grass measurement has always been valuable, but consistency and the time commitment have been the sticking points on many UK farms,” he says.
“When labour is tight, walking every paddock with a plate meter can be hard to maintain. AIMER makes the process much quicker, with accuracy comparable to a plate meter. Importantly, it helps turn that information into decisions - how much grass is available, where the cows should go next, whether supplement is needed, and what might happen over the next two weeks.”
A series of UK launch events will be held on farms during the week commencing 22 June, ahead of the official UK launch on 1 July.
Jeremy says the launch is an important milestone for Aimer Farming as the company continues to grow its pasture intelligence platform from a New Zealand base.
“The opportunity offshore is exciting, but as we grow, it’s important we don't lose sight of our New Zealand roots.
“New Zealand is where AIMER started, and the experience we gain with Kiwi farmers continues to shape how we develop the platform for pasture-based systems here and overseas.
“We’re proud to see AIMER gaining momentum internationally, while continuing to support the farmers and farm systems that helped shape it from the beginning.”
Further information for UK farmers and industry partners is available through AIMER’s dedicated UK website: https://www.aimer-farming.com/uk
