What is a sward stick?
The Beef + Lamb New Zealand sward stick is a simple but effective tool which measures pasture height. It is used to calculate the relative pasture mass commonly referred to as pasture cover in kilograms of dry matter per hectare (kgDM/ha).
What is grass sward?
Use the sward stick to measure the height of grass within a field, which will help you to gauge when to graze your grass. By grazing and resting pasture at the right time, you can improve grass utilisation and sustain a quality sward.
How is sward height measured?
Run the thumb down the ruler / sward stick until it touches the top of the grass leaf – do not measure stems and flower heads of weeds. Take at least 30 readings in each field, record them down as you go and then work out the average (sward height record pads make this very easy).
What is a grazing stick?
A grazing stick is a tool that a grazing manager can use to estimate available standing dry matter. As with any tool, taking time to learn how to properly use it will increase the accuracy of the results.
How do you measure a pasture cover?
The APC is measured in kg DM/ha and is determined by calculating the cover on each paddock (for pasture measurement and recording see Pasture assessment), multiplying the area of each paddock, adding all these together and then dividing by the total area.
How can I improve my grass swards?
Swards can be improved in several ways. The traditional method is by sward destruction using chemicals followed by ploughing, cultivation and sowing a completely new sward. This method is the most expensive, takes the field out of production for the longest time but is the most reliable.
What is a plate meter?
PLATE meters, pasture meters, rising plate meters, falling plate meters, are all the same device. They are a tool used to estimate the weight of pasture dry matter in a field or on a whole farm.
How do I calculate grass growth?
Grass growth is calculated on the paddocks that were not grazed during the week before walking the farm, i.e., if you walk the farm on a Monday use the paddocks that were not grazed from the previous Monday to calculate the grass growth rate Subtract the DM yield measured last week from the DM yield measured in the …
How do you estimate grass covers?
Method 1: The first method uses a quadrat and shears. A 0.5m x 0.5m quadrat is placed in an area that is representative of the amount of grass in the paddock. (Remember to subtract the weight of the empty bag) Grass DM% = 16% (0.16) 0.200 kg x 0.16 x 40,000 (there are 40,000 quadrats in a hectare) = 1,280 kg DM/ha.
How is pasture grass height measured?
Use a falling plate meter to measure pasture height by placing the ruler through the center hole in the plate, place the ruler’s end on the ground, lower the falling plate meter onto the pasture, measure the plate’s height above the ground.