You can't manage what you don't measure!
Pasture grass is the cheapest livestock feed available to Irish farmers. To manage it successfully and support profitability, it must be measured. read alsoWhy measure grass?for even more benefits! There are a number of different methods and tools that can be used:
Pasturebase scorecard 2022
How good was your grass measurement in 2022? Fill out the scorecard and find out. To complete this scorecard, you will need to familiarize yourself with:
- Annual tonnage report
- Farm coverage report
- Company summary report
on PastureBase Ireland to your farm.
Download the scorecard hereMy 2022 PastureBase Scorecard(PDF)
Band method for estimating average business coverage
Take this handy sheet with you and get out into the field to help you estimate the average grass cover on your farmBand method for estimating average business coverage(PDF) Watch the video below for more advice
Spring rotation planner
The Spring Rotation Planner is a tool that divides your farm's acreage into weekly portions and takes the guesswork out of planning the first grazing rotation. The only information you need is the date you plan to stock your animals and the date you think you will grow enough grass to supply all the grass you need. Read more here and download a simple plannerGrazing guide spring rotation planning (2011)(PDF)
Colour-coded guide to achieving 10 grazings per fold per year
In this guide, the rotations are color coded to help and guide you in achieving 10 grazings per year. fold per year - download hereColour-coded guide to achieving 10 grazings per fold per year
Wall chart - Grazing per fold per year
This handy wall chart allows you to record the number of paddocks you get from your individual paddocks.Wall chart - Grazing per fold per year(PDF)
Summer wedge
Register kg DM/ha and fold number/name and then put this information on the grass wedge page. You can download the registration sheet and the grass wedge page hereSummer wedge(PDF)
Fall 60:40 Rotation Planner
The most important task that every farmer will undertake in the autumn is to ensure that the farm is properly closed, so that there is sufficient grass available early the following spring. The Autumn Rotation Planner is a tool:
- to keep grass in the feed of grazing animals for as long as possible
- to create paddocks where grazing can take place the following spring
Download herAutumn grazing planner(PDF)
WeilandBase
PastureBase Ireland is the grass measurement software used to record your farm's grass growth performance and provide real-time advice when making pasture management decisions. Using PastureBase weekly during the grass growing season contributes to the quality of the grass for the animals and removes strong pastures by keeping them in ash quality silage bales, improving farm profitability. Please click throughPastureBase Ierlandfor more information about measuring grass.
Please click throughPastureBase Ierlandfor more information about measuring grass.
Watch Kildare dairy farmer Percy Mills explain why he measures grass and how he uses this information to better manage his business.
Methods of measuring grass
Measuring grass and using PastureBase to record the data is not difficult once you know how. Grass can be measuredKgDM/Ha(kilograms of dry matter per hectare) or incm(centimeter).Every 1 cm has approximately 250 kgDm/ha for livestock farming or 350 kgDm/ha for sheep farming(mixed cattle and sheep farms amount to approximately 300 kg DM/ha). When estimating the grass cover, we assume 4 cm of residue, because this is the height at which the animals have to graze. So if the grass height on a livestock farm is 10 cm, then 10-4=6 cm or 1500 kg Dm/Ha is what needs to be grazed.
The key points when measuring are to get a good representation of the paddock grass cover and measure at least once a week during the grass growing season. To help us get good representation, there are specialized tools we can use; the quadrant and the scissors, the plate thickness, the grasshopper and the cutting stick. ClickHow to measure grassfor more information on how to use it.
PastureBase 2017
Hear how Percy Mills uses Grassland Management and PastureBase Ireland to optimize profitability on his dairy farm.
