Using the Australian Feedbase Monitor (AFM)

An overview of how to get the most out of the Australian Feedbase Monitor tool.

The Dashboard

Logging into the Cibo Labs dashboard, you will see your farm name(s), along with the PIC(s), size of the farm(s) and two menu items 'AFM' and 'Farm Reports'. There are also two attribute icons; 'Manage' and 'Share'. 

'Manage' allows you to update or change the set up of your farm, including deleting the farm or creating an additional farm on the associated PIC. 

The 'Share' functionality is aimed at producers who may consult with third party members (i.e. consultants or advisors). You can share your AFM data with a third party member, provided they have a Third Party Subscription with the AFM. 

There are three 'Farm Reports' available through the AFM. More information regarding these reports can be found HERE. 

Pasture Biomass 

You can see your property details by clicking the ‘AFM’ icon. The opening view will present your chosen property, defined by a blue outline. The view defaults to the most recent image of Pasture Biomass (kg DM/ha), which is defined by Total Standing Dry Matter (TSDM). 

TSDM is the total amount of pasture, measured in kg/ha, after the water content is removed. It includes both green (actively growing plant material) and dead (senesced standing material) but excludes plant litter.

Each individual square represents 1ha of land within the property boundary. The colours of these squares are associated with a category of TSDM, as shown in the legend in the lower right hand of the screen.

You can choose to zoom in or out to examine more detail – however, zooming too far in will remove the TSDM layer. Zooming out offers users the opportunity to observe district conditions.

You can compare recent changes in seasonal conditions by using the time series icon at the bottom of the map to look at previous months. 

By clicking on a land parcel associated with your PIC, the AFM will generate two charts. 

• The first chart shows the range of TSDM grown since 2017, with a red line to indicate the median amount grown. 
• The second chart shows a comparison of the current year against previous years.

To obtain a whole property scale series of charts, click on the blue tear drop icon associated with your property 'front gate'. 

You can also download the TSDM data into a csv file by clicking on the blue 'Download farm chart data' icon at the bottom of the chart pop up window. 

Green & Dead Pasture Biomass

The next two layers relate to the components that make up Total Standing Dry Matter (TSDM).

Green Standing Dry Matter (GSDM) is defined by the total amount of photosynthetically active growing plant material in kg/ha. This is the green component of the TSDM.

Dead Standing Dry Matter (DSDM) is defined by the amount of non-photosynthetically active plant material, such as dead leaves and stems, in kg/ha. This is the dead component of the TSDM.

Fractional Cover

Fractional cover is expressed as the percentage of land covered by photosynthetically active vegetation (green), non-photosynthetically active vegetation (dead or dry), and bare ground. The three proportions add to 100%. Vegetation includes all grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees.

Pasture Biomass Deciles

This layer displays the ranking of the current month’s Total Standing Dry Matter (TSDM) relative to all the previous estimates for that month over the length of record since 2017.

A decile of 1 means the current month's pasture biomass is vastly below average. A decile of 2-3 is below average, 4-7 is average, 8-9 is above average, and 10 is vastly above average.

Woody Cover

You can also explore and compare changes in woody cover on your property using the AFM. 

This imagery demonstrates the change in Primary and Secondary Forest and Woodland.

The imagery shows the changes in woody cover over a one-year period. A forest is woody vegetation with a minimum 20% canopy cover (CC), potentially reaching 2 meters high and a minimum area of 0.2 hectares. Woodland is defined as woody vegetation with a canopy cover between 5-19%. Primary forest or woodland is defined as woody vegetation that has existed since 1988. Secondary forest or woodland has been disturbed at any time post-1988.

This data is sourced from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2023).

Total Cover

You can also select 'Total Cover' to compare changes over time in Ground Cover levels across your property.

This is expressed as the combined percentage of ground covered by green, dead and dry vegetation, including grasses, forbs, and woody plants like trees and shrubs.

Total Cover % = green cover % + dead or dry cover %.

OR

Total Cover % = 100% - Bare Ground %.

Satellite View

This image is a composite made from all available cloud-free Sentinel-2 data from the previous 35 days. It displays bands 11 (SWIR), 8 (NIR), and 4 (Red) as red, green, and blue, respectively.

In the image, bright green represents vigorous, healthy vegetation such as forests, crops, and growing pastures. Dry forests and woodland appear in muted green through to browns, while sparsely vegetated, dry pasture and bare areas appear brown to pale purple, showing variability in soil colour