User Guide – Pasture Indicators Monitor

The Pasture Indicators Monitor in IdeasFarm organizes productive and pasture management data to clearly and technically show the status of pastures and their impact on animal production. Each indicator is designed so that users can easily interpret the information, understand what it represents, and know how to use it for decision-making on the farm.

General Indicators

• Average growth rate (Kg DM/ha/day): Expresses the amount of dry matter each hectare of the farm produces on average per day. It is calculated by dividing the accumulated biomass by the days elapsed since the last grazing. It helps understand pasture productivity and project the short-term feed availability.
• Average pasture rotation (days): Represents the number of days that typically pass between one grazing and the next. This value helps determine if pastures are being used at the optimal harvest stage, avoiding both overgrazing and forage loss due to over-maturity.

Main Charts

• Growth rate per pasture: Shows, pasture by pasture, the speed of dry matter forage production. This information identifies the most productive pastures and those requiring adjustments in fertilization, rest, or load management.
• Pasture rotation: Indicates the duration of the rest cycle between grazings for each pasture. It allows evaluating if grazing planning maintains forage availability sustainably over time.
• Cost Kg DM/pasture: Relates costs recorded in each pasture to the amount of dry matter produced, expressing how much it costs to produce a kilogram of forage. It facilitates comparison between pastures and control of economic efficiency in grass production.

Production and Management Indicators

• Plantings in the period: Reflects the area of pastures that has been renewed or sown during the period. Helps plan future forage availability and evaluate investment in pasture renovation.
• Average entry height (cm): Height of grass measured before animals enter the pasture. This value identifies if the forage is at the optimal stage for utilization and has adequate nutritional quality.
• Average residual height (cm): Height remaining in the pasture after grazing. Adequate residual ensures persistence and rapid recovery of the pasture, preventing plant damage and guaranteeing productivity in the next cycle.
• Total area and effective area (ha): Total area corresponds to the farm’s complete surface, while effective area considers only the pasture available for grazing and feed production. This relationship allows calculating the farm’s real carrying capacity.
• Average production per animal/day (L/cow/day): Expresses the average liters of milk produced per cow per day. This indicator helps measure individual animal performance under the pasture feeding conditions.
• Feed conversion (Kg DM/L milk): Relates the dry matter forage consumed by a cow to produce one liter of milk. Lower values indicate more efficient use of pasture and better profitability.
• Average daily production (L): Represents total liters of milk produced daily on the farm. Provides a global view of productivity and helps monitor production trends over time.
• Average grazing allocation (Kg DM/cow/day): Amount of forage available per cow per day. Ensures animals receive sufficient feed and allows adjusting stocking rate according to forage availability.
• Production per hectare (L/ha/day): Calculated by multiplying animal stocking density (cows/ha) by the average production per cow. Measures land use efficiency and allows comparison between pastures or farms.

Operational Parameters

• Milking platform/total area (%): Proportion of the surface allocated to feeding lactating cows over the total farm area. Evaluates the degree of production system intensification.
• Intensive management area/total area (%): Fraction of the farm receiving controlled management in fertilization, irrigation, or grazing. Reflects system technification level.
• Adult animals/total animals (%): Percentage of the herd consisting of animals that have had at least one calving. Helps estimate productive and reproductive potential of the herd.
• Average adult cow weight at 3.5 BCS (Kg BW): Shows the average weight of adult cows in optimal body condition. Used as reference to estimate nutritional needs and calculate appropriate stocking rates.
• Animal load on milking platform (cows/ha): Number of lactating cows maintained per hectare of the milking platform. Reflects grazing pressure and system intensity.
• Mass of cows on milking platform (Kg BW/ha): Total weight of adult cows per hectare of the milking platform. Used to relate animal biomass to forage availability.
• Growth rate on milking platform (Kg DM/ha/day): Speed of pasture growth used to feed lactating cows. Helps project future feed availability.
• Rotation between grazings (days): Time until a pasture becomes available after grazing. Balanced values ensure sustainable forage management.
• Harvestable forage at entry (Kg DM/ha): Amount of forage available before animals enter. Helps plan feed allocation and grazing duration.
• Forage accumulation rate (Kg DM/cm/ha): Relates forage availability to average entry height minus 5 cm residual. Indicator of pasture growth efficiency.
• Forage harvested (Kg DM/ha): Amount of forage actually utilized, either by animal consumption or cutting. Measures pasture use relative to potential.
• Harvest index (%): Ratio of harvested forage to available forage at entry. Shows efficiency of forage use without compromising pasture persistence.
• Supplement use per liter (g/L): Amount of supplement offered per liter of milk produced. Evaluates dependence on external inputs relative to pasture contribution.
• Milk production per hectare (L/ha/day): Relates stocking rate to average milk production per cow. Reflects intensive land productivity.
• Production per harvested forage (L/kg DM): Measures milk produced per kilogram of harvested forage, adjusted for supplement use. Integrates animal efficiency with pasture efficiency.

Complementary Charts

• Harvests (silage vs grazing): Shows the percentage of forage used for grazing versus reserved for storage. Helps balance immediate consumption with planning for critical periods.
• Fertilizations (Kg applied per date): Records fertilizer applications over time, allowing evaluation of investment impact on pasture growth rates.
• Silage stock (Kg DM per pasture): Represents reserves available in each pasture. Ensures feed supply during scarcity or drought periods.

📌 Overall, this module allows producers to visualize how forage production, grazing management, costs, and milk production are interconnected, transforming records into practical decisions to improve efficiency and farm profitability.