Home-grown pasture can provide one of the lowest-cost sources of feed for pasture-based dairy farms.
Despite the importance of home-grown feed, research suggests objective pasture measurement is still not routine on many dairy farms.
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Home-grown pasture can provide one of the lowest-cost sources of feed for pasture-based dairy farms, but farmers need to know what is available and how their feed position is changing to use it effectively.
Dairy Australia describes pasture as the most important home-grown feed for most Australian dairy farmers and says successfully growing and utilising is a key determinant of profitability.
However, research points to a gap between recognising the value of pasture measurement and consistently using measurement tools.
Founder of Pasture.io Oliver Roberts says spring pasture begins in winter.
Unlike purchased feed, pasture does not arrive with a known quantity.
The amount available differs between paddocks and changes with the weather, grazing and seasonal conditions. Without regular measurement, developing surpluses and shortfalls can be difficult to identify early enough to act.
As spring approaches across Australia’s dairy regions, farmers need to maintain pasture quality, keep the grazing round on track, identify surpluses for silage and respond before a feed shortfall puts pressure on the herd.
Founder of Pasture.io Oliver Roberts said spring pasture management doesn’t begin when the grass starts taking off.
“How pasture is managed through winter helps determine the position the farm is in when growth accelerates. Farmers need to know what feed they have, where it is and where their feed position is heading.”
Oliver began developing Pasture.io in 2014 to solve challenges on his family’s dairy farm, Robin Hill, on Tasmania’s north-west coast.
Historical records have shown after more consistent pasture measurement and grazing management, Robin Hill entered spring with higher pasture cover.
Early spring growth response occurred two to three weeks earlier, coinciding with changes to winter pasture cover and post-grazing residual management.
Oliver says he has heard similar reports from other farmers.
The timing varies between farms, seasons and regions and should not be treated as an outcome every farm can expect.
The broader opportunity is to recognise changing trends sooner and be ready to act as the spring flush gathers pace.
Regularly measuring every paddock helps farmers understand their current feed position and what may be ahead.
This can inform upcoming grazings, supplementary-feed decisions, feed inventory and when surplus paddocks can be removed from the grazing round for silage.
Pasture.io uses satellite technology to provide regular pasture readings across every paddock, reducing the need to measure the whole farm manually. It brings these readings together in a whole-farm feed wedge and pasture forecasts.
Farmers can also enter readings collected with manual tools such as a rising plate meter or tow-behind pasture meter, if desired, and use the same planning and feed-management tools.
While Pasture.io is Australian-founded, it is now used by farmers in 18 countries.
Dairy farmer Logan Haynes from Taranaki, New Zealand has used Pasture.io for the past three years.
Logan said the farm now consistently performs better.
“Being ten days ahead of yourself means you can see and act before you get yourself under pressure,” Logan said.
Logan also compares paddock performance to identify where pasture improvement may be needed and when surplus paddocks can be removed from the grazing round for silage.
“Each year, we look at our poorer-performing paddocks and decide whether they need soil testing, full regrassing or simply undersowing.
“We’ve also gone from making about 150 bales of silage a year to 300-400, using the feed wedge to identify when we can confidently take paddocks out.”
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