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Beef · Land & pasture · Pasture

Pasture utilisation

58% grazed

The share of the dry matter you grow that actually passes through an animal — the rest is trampled, fouled or decays standing.

Worked example · Consumed ÷ grown DM · season
58% Target 65% Grazed 58% Residual 42%
Consumed ÷ grown DM · season
The benchmark

Set-stocked systems use only 40–50% of the pasture grown; well-managed rotational grazing lifts utilisation to 60–75%.

EverGraze / SW Farm Monitor ↗
What it signals

Utilisation is the cheapest production lever on the farm: lifting it five points grows more beef from the same rainfall, fertiliser and land. It is the bridge between dry matter production and net production per hectare.

Data required to calculate
Pasture grownkgDM/haPasture consumed (est.)kgDM/ha

Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses, and keeps the figure current automatically.

How to improve it
01

Rotationally graze — shorter, denser grazings with real rest periods.

02

Match mob feed demand to the seasonal pasture growth curve.

03

Cut spring surplus for silage or hay rather than letting it rank.

Questions & answers

What is pasture utilisation?

The share of the dry matter you grow that actually passes through an animal — the rest is trampled, fouled or decays standing.

What data do you need to calculate pasture utilisation?

You need: Pasture grown (kgDM/ha), Pasture consumed (est.) (kgDM/ha). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good pasture utilisation benchmark?

Set-stocked systems use only 40–50% of the pasture grown; well-managed rotational grazing lifts utilisation to 60–75%.

How do you improve pasture utilisation?

Rotationally graze — shorter, denser grazings with real rest periods. Match mob feed demand to the seasonal pasture growth curve. Cut spring surplus for silage or hay rather than letting it rank.

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