Equip producers with the stocking rate essentials

When producers know their ideal stocking rates, they can make more informed decisions about animal and pasture management – ultimately driving improvements in both productivity and profitability. 

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has a range of tools and resources that can help your clients better understand their optimal stocking rates.  

Stocking rate calculator 

MLA’s stocking rate calculator is designed to determine the number of cattle or sheep you should put into a paddock based on carrying capacity. 

Access the stocking rate calculator here.  

Feedbase planning and budgeting tool 

This tool is designed to help you plan: 

• rotational grazing systems  

• determine appropriate stocking rates  

• calculate pasture growth rates  

• determine how long paddocks will last  

• calculate the most economical ration for different stock classes.  

You can now also keep track of the carrying capacity (stocking rate) of each paddock by recording dry sheep equivalent grazing days/ha. This tool also aids in calculating maintenance fertiliser requirements to help plan your client’s pasture. 

Access the feedbase planning and budgeting tool here. 

Feedbase demand calculator 

This calculator shows you how closely your clients’ herd or flock demand matches their pasture growth. 

It calculates – for each month of the year – the total feed demand of all the cattle and sheep on a property. You can then compare monthly demands to the likely supply of pasture. Use this tool to show your clients: 

• how much of your pasture your livestock are grazing  

• how big the pasture shortage  

• surplus at various times of the year 

• how many kilograms of liveweight they produce per hectare. 

Access the feed demand calculator here. 

eLearning packages 

MLA’s eLearning platform, ‘The Toolbox’ has free training packages to help producers better understand their feed budget on property.  

For northern livestock producers, the Northern forage budgeting package will provide detailed information around understanding their land condition and how to being the process of forage budgeting.  

For southern livestock producers, the Turning pasture into product package will walk them through feed budgeting, determining stocking rate and days on feed.