Purlieu is a groundbreaking initiative spearheaded by Senus, formerly FARMEYE, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), dedicated to exploring the vital role hedgerows play in Ireland’s ecosystem and agricultural landscape. These green corridors are not mere boundaries; they are the lifeblood of our environment and agricultural sustainability.
At Senus, we’re committed to empowering farmers with practical solutions for hedgerow management. Our comprehensive methodology integrates ground-based data capture using GNSS and LiDAR technology with satellite imagery and advanced modelling techniques. This approach enables us to deliver accurate assessments of hedgerow composition, structure, and biodiversity, providing farmers with actionable insights to inform sustainable land management practices.
“Through the use of advanced technologies, we’ve harnessed cutting-edge technology to develop innovative approaches for assessing and managing hedgerow biodiversity and volume.’’
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with the European Space Agency on this exciting and impactful project. The continued commitment from ESA to Purlieu adds to the growing recognition of Senus as a European leader in natural capital measurement technologies.”
Aurivo co-op and ag-tech company Senus, formerly FARMEYE, partnered to establish a soil carbon programme to verify and measure soil carbon stocks on farms across the northwest region. As part of the programme, Aurivo and Senus work with the farmers in the programme to implement sustainable soil management practices that enable them to increase carbon stocks.
The soil carbon sampling is carried out to an ISO standard methodology. Prior to sampling, the farms are split into “strata” or blocks, based on soil type and land use. The soil core location points are predetermined before sampling took place. The sampler navigates their way to each soil core point using GPS technology and the core location is recorded each time a soil core is extracted from the ground. This recording of the location allows for precision and repeatability of the sampling at the end of the 3 year programme. There is complete traceability of each sample on the Senus technology platform.
“We believe the data and information from the farms involved will be of great benefit to all farmers in our region and demonstrate the positive effects farm practices can have on carbon sequestration.”
Lakeland Dairies is a farmer-owned cooperative established almost 130 years ago. They have a tradition of excellence in using fresh milk produced from green pastures on 3,200 family-owned farms to produce the highest-quality dairy food products served to customers in over 80 countries. Building on the experience of over a century, Lakeland Dairies is one of the key drivers of dairy industry growth in Ireland, providing a sound economic base for producers and laying the groundwork for continuing decades of innovation and progress. Very important to Lakeland Dairies is the move towards sustainability in the dairy industry in Ireland. One component of this strategy is their sustainable soil health programme, which is facilitated by Senus, formerly FARMEYE.
Senus has been carrying out soil health analysis across the Lakeland Dairies Supply Chain since 2019. All data is captured through the Senus MRV software (infield app and cloud-based mapping system) that provides key soil management recommendations to farmers, with the secondary effect of being able to report the performance of the entire supply chain annually. The programme is run under an ISO standard and provides maximum transparency and traceability in the data, information, and insights.
Recently, Lakeland Dairies announced their latest results from this programme, which place their farmers 20% ahead of the national average for soil health management, all verified through the Senus MRV software.
“Our collaboration with FARMEYE has allowed Lakeland Dairies to avail of cutting-edge digital technology to further improve the soil sampling programme available to our milk suppliers.”
“They provide an easy-to-use, highly visual map-based system to record as well as track where and when each sample was taken. This allows for complete traceability of results and will give greater consistency in sampling for subsequent years. By using accurate soil tests to take corrective actions to address nutrient deficiencies in the soil, our farmers continue to improve soil health and improve forage production whilst significantly reduce fertiliser usage saving money every year.”
Aurivo
“We believe the data and information from the farms involved will be of great benefit to all farmers in our region and demonstrate the positive effects farm practices can have on carbon sequestration.”
Head of Sustainability, Lakeland Dairies
“Our collaboration with FARMEYE has allowed Lakeland Dairies to avail of cutting-edge digital technology to further improve the soil sampling program available to our milk suppliers.
They provide an easy-to-use, highly visual map-based system to record as well as track where and when each sample was taken. This allows for complete traceability of results and will give greater consistency in sampling for subsequent years. By using accurate soil tests to take corrective actions to address nutrient deficiencies in the soil, our farmers continue to improve soil health and improve forage production whilst significantly reduce fertiliser usage saving money every year.”
Dairy Farmer, Co. Meath
“We’ve been using the FARMEYE system for four years and it’s made a huge difference to managing soil fertility on the farm.
We’ve built soil Ps and Ks by a full index across the farm, growing more grass and reducing the fertiliser bill – which has never been more important. The FARMEYE colour-coded maps are key. You can see at a glance what parts of the farm you need to target.”
Beef Farmer, Co. Roscommon
“I decided to focus on producing the best grass possible on my farm
FARMEYE’s system has really helped me do this by helping me fully understand my soil nutrient profiles. The colour-coded maps are simple and easy to understand. Saving money while growing more grass shows what a great system they have.”
