Pasture Precision Program

Precision pasture grazing is a practice where livestock are rotated through smaller, specific areas of a pasture to maximize the use of available forage while minimizing overgrazing. This method helps improve soil health, reduce the risk of erosion, and promote more efficient use of resources. It also allows for more control over the grazing intensity, leading to better long-term pasture health.

Monitoring, measuring, and managing are crucial aspects of implementing precision pasture grazing or any livestock management practice effectively. Here's a brief overview of each:

Monitoring: Regularly observing and assessing key indicators such as forage availability, animal behavior, pasture condition, and environmental factors. Monitoring helps you stay informed about the current state of your pastures and livestock. The use of the Missouri Grazing Wedge is an example monitoring your practice to improve financial, social, environmental and production aspects of the enterprise.

Measuring: Using tools and techniques to quantify data related to pasture productivity, livestock performance, soil health, and other important metrics. This may involve measuring forage biomass, animal weight gain, soil moisture levels, and more. There are many tools used measure forage biomass. The University of Missouri has developed PaddockTrac, a proximal sensing device, to measure forage height converted to biomass. The MU Pasture Precision Team is additionally developing PastureCast, a cyber-physical system that integrates proximal sensing, remote sensing, and data analytics for biomass estimation on grazing lands.

Managing: Using the information gathered from monitoring and measuring to make informed decisions about grazing rotations, pasture restoration, supplement feeding, and other management practices. Effective management strategies are crucial for optimizing livestock health and pasture productivity. By integrating monitoring, measuring, and managing into your livestock operation, you can enhance productivity, sustainability, and overall success.

Getting started is simple:

Measuring

Ride your pasture with the PaddockTrac device. PaddockTrac measures your land with speed and precision.

Monitoring

PaddockTrac sends the data it gathers wirelessly from your phone to the MU Extension cloud.

Managing

Grazing Wedge receives and visualizes your data, giving you key insights into how to manage your pasture for the best yields.

“I would recommend it so a person can understand what their grass is doing. If you know what grass is doing, you can manage the grass. Because it does make you money.”

PaddockTrac Promo Video

Dairy Grazing Planning

View budgets and planning materials

PaddockTrac

Dairy resource app. App also available on the GooglePlay store.

Forages

Forages program and resources

Grazing Dairies

Learn more about milk prices and production

Pasture-forage management

Manage the quality of your forage

Foremost Grazing Dairy

Early breeding methods

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