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Why use the Forage Budget Calculator?
Obtain the number of grazing days left in your paddocks or overall farm to:
- Plan ahead
- Prevent overgrazing
- Avoid running out of feed
Be prepared before pasture biomass levels become critical.
Quick start- 1. Forage Budget Calculator Definitions
Using the grazing period outcome calculator spreadsheet
2. Grazing day calculator - enter livestock numbers to analysis
How to use the Calculator?
This form allows you to configure your forage budget by selecting which Calculator Result (default is carrying capacity for a period) or your available grazing days and Production System you wish to use in AE or DSE outputs in a paddock or farm scale analysis. Choose between Farm or Paddock Level calculators and choose your configuration prior to using by clicking on your calculator options in the pop-up window to highlight your options:
Quick Start :
1. Forage Budget Calculator configuration form / definition details;
| Configuration Items | Description and Use |
| Start Date | The dry biomass per paddock/farm used in the budget, based on the nearest date PastureKey generated an estimate |
| End Date | The date used to determine the number of day you want the budget as the grazing period. |
| Anticipated Pasture Growth (kg/Ha) | Enter a number for the estimated total growth across all your paddocks/farm. This will be applied for whole grazing period. |
| Minimum Residual (kg/Ha) | The amount of pasture you want to leave behind after grazing the paddock/farm. |
| Default Unusable (%) | Proportion of the pasture biomass not able to be used by the stock. |
| Default Wastage (%) | Proportion of the pasture biomass trampled and or have dung and urine contaminate the plants |
| Default Utilisation Rate (%) | The limit you want to put on the usable biomass |
| Unpalatable 3Ps (%) | Proportion of the normally Palatable, Perennial and Productive parts of the pasture that have become rank |
Using the Grazing Period Available Outcome spreadsheet:
For detailed step - guide on how to use this calculator please use the link:
Forage Budget Calculator - Grazing Days
1. Selecting Paddocks (Paddock - level) Forage Budgeting Calculator
If you select a Paddock-level Forage Budgeting Calculator analysis for grazing days
➤ Tick the paddocks you want to include in your analysis to get your total available grazing days (on the left hand side of the spreadsheet). Any unselected (not ticked) paddocks, will not be included in the results and summary data.
2. Grazing Day Calculator
- Enter your stock numbers in your Farm -level or Paddock level Forage budget calculator.
➤ Fill out the first green (Number of stock ) columns of the livestock metrics section of the spreadsheet – blue cells are auto-calculated with your PastureKey data, white cells are auto-populated from the data you entered in the pop-up prior to entering the spreadsheet. White columns are editable from within the spreadsheet.
➤ Results appear instantly as you enter data!
3. Populating the Data
- Blue columns = not editable/auto-calculated - fields populated with PastureKey Data.
- White columns = editable, require your livestock management preferences.
4. Additional navigation tools:
There are three additional functions at the bottom of the calculators.
Load from Excel- Allows the user to load data for inputs of columns from an excel data set.
Save to Excel - Allows the user to save the calculator outputs to excel.
Reset table data - Resets the calculator to the data that was originally loaded
Tip: Repeat Analysis for all paddocks for different livestock demands for intake based off there age, weight, production targets or pregnancy/lactation status requirements. Use results to make proactive grazing decisions and avoid feed shortages.
If you would like more support please contact Cibo Labs Support team support@cibolabs.com.au