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Dairy · Land & pasture · Pasture

Dry matter production

75 kg DM/ha/day peak

The daily growth rate of the pasture base — kilograms of water-free plant material grown per hectare per day — plotted against the herd’s feed demand. In the subtropics growth peaks in the summer wet and falls below demand through winter: that crossing is the feed gap.

Worked example · kg DM/ha/day · growth vs demand
75 winter gap Growth Demand Jan May Jul Dec
kg DM/ha/day · growth vs demand
The benchmark

In subtropical Queensland, tropical grasses (kikuyu, Rhodes) grow hardest through the summer wet, leaving a winter feed gap filled by ryegrass and oats.

Subtropical Dairy ↗
What it signals

Knowing growth lets you match the grazing rotation and supplement to real supply — carrying a feed wedge into the winter gap and turning the summer surplus into silage before it gets away.

Data required to calculate
Milking platform areahaPasture cover, startkg DM/haPasture cover, endkg DM/haDays in perioddays

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

How to improve it
01

Graze to correct residuals to keep pasture in its fast-growth phase.

02

Over-sow ryegrass and oats to carry feed through the winter gap.

03

Apply nitrogen strategically and correct soil fertility and pH.

Questions & answers

What is dry matter production?

The daily growth rate of the pasture base — kilograms of water-free plant material grown per hectare per day — plotted against the herd’s feed demand. In the subtropics growth peaks in the summer wet and falls below demand through winter: that crossing is the feed gap.

What data do you need to calculate dry matter production?

You need: Milking platform area (ha), Pasture cover, start (kg DM/ha), Pasture cover, end (kg DM/ha), Days in period (days). Silo pulls each of these from the sources the operation already uses and keeps the figure current automatically.

What is a good dry matter production benchmark?

In subtropical Queensland, tropical grasses (kikuyu, Rhodes) grow hardest through the summer wet, leaving a winter feed gap filled by ryegrass and oats.

How do you improve dry matter production?

Graze to correct residuals to keep pasture in its fast-growth phase. Over-sow ryegrass and oats to carry feed through the winter gap. Apply nitrogen strategically and correct soil fertility and pH.

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