Measuring Grassland Production

Grazing stick being used to assess current grassland status.
Courtesy: USDA NRCS South Dakota

Assessing pasture forage production is a key step in planning harvest strategies and can also inform the manager on the status of wildlife habitat or other grassland values. Online resources, such as the free U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Web Soil Survey, allow landowners to input the perimeters of a pasture or ranch, while the program outputs production estimates based on soils and typical vegetation for the area.

Many producers prefer locally accurate information on their grassland production. One of the most-reliable systems for measuring grassland production on the farm or ranch is to clip and weigh the vegetation. Tools, such as clipping ‘rings’, charts and tables, assist in estimating per-acre production. While important to establishment of base data, annual clipping can be time and labor intensive, thus most producers fail to follow through on long-term clipping to establish production estimates.

As an alternative, grassland managers have developed simplified tools that allow rapid estimation of forage production in grasslands without the need to continuously clip and weigh vegetation. One of these tools is the common ‘grazing stick.’

While all grazing sticks are based on the same general principles, their use can be modified to fit local conditions. The grazing stick utilizes plant leaf height measurements in inches, estimating how many pounds of dry plant material are available per acre. The grazing stick includes simple math to determine herd size, stocking rates and available grazing days. Producers interested in learning more about determining grassland production should work with a mentor or grazing professional to receive coaching and guidance.

Rotation (180-Day Grazing Period)
Number of Pastures
Grazing Efficiency
Grazing Days
Rest Days
1
25%
180
0
2
30%
90
90
3
30%
60
120
4
35%
45
135
6
35%
30
150
8
35%
23
157
12
40%
15
165
16
40%
11
169

Estimated Air-Dry Weight in Pounds Per-Inch*
 
Stand Density**
  
Plant Community
Normal
Excellent
Minimum Stuble Height
Cool-Season and Legume
150–250
250–350
4"
Cool-Season Introduced
100–200
200–250
4"
Cool-Season Native
150–200
200–250
4"
Native Mixed Cool and Warm
100–200
200–300
4–6"
Warm-Season Native
100–250
250–350
6–8"

* Measure the average height in inches of the vegetative forage in the plant community, not seed head height.

** Stand density refers to the relative closeness of desirable plants.
An excellent stand density will have a cover greater than 85% and be vigorous.

The Healthy Grasslands article series is provided by the South Dakota Grassland Coalition in partnership with SDSU Extension. Contributing editors: Alexander J. Smart, Peter J. Bauman and Joshua Lefers. © South Dakota Grassland Coalition 2017. For more information, view the full publication or visit the South Dakota Grassland Coalition website.

Related Topics

Healthy Grasslands Series, Grassland, Range, Pasture, Forage, Wildlife, Conservation

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