Information required for the calculation:
• Average pasture growth rate over the season
• Number of grazing days
Use the MLA Pasture Ruler to generate similar estimates of pasture growth rates for selected paddocks or the whole farm.
Be sure to make adjustments to suit the local seasonal and pasture growth conditions:
• In dry seasons reduce the estimate of kg DM/ha/day.
• Adjust estimates according to the growing conditions, pasture density or when there is more than 30% bare ground.
Step 1 Calculate the accumulated pasture growth over the season
Example for calculating the total pasture growth
Information for calculation:
• Average pasture growth rate - 40kg DM/ha/day
• Number of grazing days - 100 days
In this example, there is an average pasture growth rate of 40kg DM/ha/day for 100 days for a normal spring season in southern Australia.
The estimate of total pasture growth is 40 x 100 = 4,000kg DM/ha
Answer: 4,000kg DM/ha (growth over 100 days)
Step 2 Calculate the number of grazing animals required/ha
Example for calculating the number of grazing animals required
Information for calculation:
