With increasing costs of feed, fuel and fertiliser well managed grazed grass is the cheapest feed; and this tool will help you make the most of it.

Up to 50% of the grass grown in poorly managed ryegrass rich swards is wasted. This grass has a concentrate feed value of £250/t so it's like throwing away half a tonne of cake! Aim to keep grass young and leafy with no stems or seed heads by grazing efficiently. Measuring sward height (cms) or cover as kilograms of dry matter per ha( kgDM/ha) helps you to do this.

Grazed grass can provide up to 90% of sheep and beef feed and over 50% of dairy cow feed requirements. Grass grows at different rates during the year while animal needs remain relatively constant.

Measuring grass will help you:



For more reading on measuring grass: Click Here

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IBERS, Grassland Development Centre: 01970 823026

E-mail: GDCstaff@aber.ac.uk, Web page: www.grassdevcentre.co.uk

GDC, Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3EB