50 Shades of Graze - the official blog of Pasture.io

Dairy New Zealand

Maximising Pasture Utilisation for Profitability

Every extra tonne of grass your herd actually eats can add about NZ$300 to net profit, so measure covers weekly, graze ryegrass at the 2½- to 3-leaf stage, match stocking rate to growth, conserve surpluses promptly, and use supplements only when they truly cut cost per kilogram of milk-solids turning more sunlight into margin instead of waste.

07 August 2025

Dairy New Zealand

Choosing the Right Pasture Species – and Helping Them Thrive

Build every paddock on a ryegrass-clover core, then plug seasonal or soil-specific gaps with fast winter annuals, deep-rooted summer herbs, or drought-tolerant grasses like lucerne and tall fescue. Match species to climate, nurture clover with correct pH, and renew thin swards promptly; the right mix lifts year-round dry-matter supply, steadies animal health, and keeps milk flowing when weather turns.

24 July 2025

Ryegrass Pastures

Mastering Rotational Grazing in Ryegrass Pastures

Rotational grazing in ryegrass pastures boosts productivity by matching grazing timing to plant growth. By managing paddock rotations, grazing heights, and rest periods, farmers can maintain high-quality feed, improve pasture health, and support long-term sustainability.

03 July 2025

Ryegrass Pastures

Feeding Strategies for Year-Round Grazing on Ryegrass Pasture

This article outlines practical strategies for feeding livestock year-round on ryegrass pastures. It covers managing spring surpluses, stockpiling forage for lean months, using supplements when pasture is short, meeting mineral needs, and matching livestock demand to pasture growth to maintain both animal and pasture health.

01 July 2025

Ryegrass Pastures

Mixing it Up: Ryegrass-Clover Mixtures and Other Pasture Companions

Mixing ryegrass with clover and other companion plants can boost pasture productivity, improve animal health, and reduce input costs. By adding diversity to the sward, farmers can create more resilient, nutritious, and sustainable grazing systems.

26 June 2025

Ryegrass Pastures

Annual, Perennial, or Hybrid? Choosing the Right Ryegrass for Your Pastures

This guide explains the differences between annual, perennial, and hybrid ryegrasses, helping farmers choose the right type for their grazing system. It covers lifespan, climate suitability, yield, and management considerations, offering practical advice for matching ryegrass to farm goals.

24 June 2025

Ryegrass Pastures

Fertility, Weed Control, and Reseeding in Ryegrass Paddocks

Good ryegrass pastures don’t stay productive on their own. This guide explains how to maintain soil fertility, control weeds, and reseed when needed, helping farmers keep paddocks healthy, resilient, and profitable year after year.

17 June 2025

Ryegrass Pastures

Year-Round Pasture Management: Seasonal Strategies to Keep Ryegrass Thriving

Seasonal shifts in growth mean ryegrass pastures need different management in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. By adjusting grazing rotations, using supplements, and protecting paddocks at the right time, farmers can maintain productive pasture and steady feed year-round.

10 June 2025

Pasture Professional

How to Gauge Your Grass for Better Grazing Decisions

Measuring pasture growth takes the guesswork out of grazing. From simple tools like grazing sticks to advanced satellite apps, regular measurement helps farmers plan rotations, allocate feed, and keep ryegrass in its most productive growth stage for better livestock performance and sustainable paddocks.

05 June 2025

Grazing Management NZ

Pasture Renewal After Drought: Autumn Oversowing Tips

Autumn oversowing breathes new life into paddocks weakened by drought, allowing seeds to benefit from rising soil moisture and milder temperatures. A tug test and soil analysis indicate when oversowing is worthwhile, and preparing the ground—through grazing or minimal cultivation—helps seeds establish quickly. Selecting drought-tolerant ryegrass and adding clover for nitrogen-fixing can enhance pasture resilience. Light, early grazing supports tillering, but residuals must remain high enough to protect young plants. By carefully planning and executing these steps, and using data-driven tools like Pasture.io for guidance, farmers can rebuild stronger swards that withstand winter’s challenges and boost spring growth.

08 April 2025

Grazing Management NZ

Autumn Grazing Essentials: Building Feed Reserves in New Zealand

Autumn in New Zealand presents a prime opportunity to revive summer-stressed pastures, build feed reserves, and set cover targets for winter. With cooler temperatures and revived soil moisture, maintaining a longer rotation, measuring paddock growth, and grazing ryegrass at the 2.5–3 leaf stage are key tactics. Aim for around 1500 kg DM/ha in post-grazing residuals, supplement when necessary, and be prepared to harvest any autumn flush as silage. Clear objectives, efficient stocking practices, and infrastructure to minimise pugging will help protect pastures for the months ahead and ensure a strong start to spring.

13 March 2025

Dairy Australia

Dairy Australia’s 2024 Forage Value Index is Out. Here’s How It Can Help You Choose The Right Ryegrass Cultivar

Dairy Australia's release of the 2024 Forage Value Index (FVI) offers Australian dairy farmers a crucial tool for selecting optimal ryegrass cultivars. Ryegrass, a staple in Australian dairy pastures, provides consistent, high-quality feed, but choosing the right cultivar is essential for maximising productivity and herd performance. The FVI, a single score reflecting a cultivar's profitability potential, integrates key factors like seasonal production, quality, persistence, and economic value. This comprehensive evaluation helps you make data-driven decisions, optimise pasture productivity, reduce feed costs, and enhance farm profitability. You can build sustainable and profitable dairy operations by understanding ryegrass types and leveraging the FVI alongside industry knowledge and agtech solutions.

16 May 2024

Pasture Professional

Understanding Leaf Stage With Pasture.io Elevates Your Grazing Management

Master the subtle art of pasture management by focusing on the leaf stage of your ryegrass. Timing your grazing between the 2 and 3 leaf stages can make or break your pasture's health and yield. With Pasture.io, you get daily updates and satellite imagery to make data-driven decisions, optimising not just your grazing but also your fertilisation strategies. Take the guesswork out of pasture management and set the stage for sustainable, profitable farming.

02 October 2023

Pasture Professional

Unlocking the Potential of Perennial Ryegrass: A Spring Grazing Guide

Navigating the spring season's challenges with perennial ryegrass becomes a breeze with this guide. Learn to accurately identify this high-nutrition forage and understand its leaf stages for optimal grazing. Pasture.io's real-time data helps you master feed allocation and assess post-grazing residuals, empowering you to make data-driven decisions for peak pasture performance and livestock health. Ready to optimise your ryegrass management? Pasture.io has got you covered.

30 September 2023

Ryegrass Pastures

Ryegrass Demystified: Your Ultimate Handbook to Different Pasture Seed Options

Article Summary: Ryegrass is a cool-season grass species that is widely used for forage and pasture purposes. It is known for its fast germination, high productivity, and good nutritional value for grazing animals. It's a vital component of the farming process but not often the star of any comprehensive guides, given there are many varieties and applications. This blog looks at all things ryegrass seed, from varieties to the strengths of each and how to choose the right seed for your pasture. By understanding the characteristics of different ryegrass varieties and their applications, you can make informed decisions when establishing and managing your range to maximise productivity and animal nutrition.

08 June 2023

Ryegrass Pastures

It’s Official—Australian-grown Rye Grass Is The Best!

We are not shy of singing the praises of ryegrass; in fact, we’ve got a whole website section devoted to it! The 2023 Australian Forage Value Index (FVI) has just been released, and the prognosis for Aussie-grown feed is bright. Why? Because we’ve got some of the world’s best quality forage. This is indicative of the report’s stellar results. This article also covers why we love ryegrass so much, why our cows do too, and the different varieties of ryegrass you might decide to use on your farm.

23 March 2023

Dairy New Zealand

Advancements in Dairy Industry of New Zealand

The exports of New Zealand is around $46 billion worth of agricultural products. Their dairy farming systems are based on yearly grazing and seasonal milk production on perennial ryegrass/clover pasture. Their dairy industry is one of their biggest earners, accounting for roughly 3% of its GDP. Furthermore, the dairy industry forms a significant part of the New Zealand economy, dairy is New Zealand's biggest export earner, with exports of approximately $17 billion a year, accounting for 20% of their total exports which is around 20% of revenue between 2004 and 2020.

01 September 2022

Pasture Management

How to manage pasture in dry weather

To improve the persistence of your pasture, use best ryegrass management practices and regulate the residual height during dry periods. The reasons for critical ryegrass management strategies under dry weather are discussed in this article.

26 May 2022

Measurement Tools

Rising Plate Meter Equation

In this article, we'll look at the ins and outs of the rising plate meter equation and discuss things like the range of the multiplier, how to use a single equation, and the formulas used for seasonal variation, as well as different forages such as ryegrass, lucerne, chicory and plantain. Should you change the rising plate meter equation or settle for simplicity? Let's explore this and more.

14 April 2022

Ryegrass Pastures

How to Choose Ryegrass for Autumn Renovation

Autumn is the time to bring your pasture in line with your growth targets and for making preparations to meet winter. Farms across the globe choose between ryegrasses depending upon the type of pasture soil. Pasture.io has come up with productive tips for establishing ryegrass into an existing pasture.

31 March 2022

Ryegrass Pastures

Managing Perennial Ryegrass for Spring Growth

How well do you understand spring and its impact on pasture growth rates? How well do you have a grasp on perennial ryegrass and its natural tendency to perform well in high rainfall and temperate climates? We'll explore with essential details so you can make the most out of spring with your ryegrass.

01 September 2021

Ryegrass Pastures

Establishing Perennial Ryegrass Pastures

Perennial Ryegrass is the most commonly used feed for dairy cows in Australia! In this article, we’re going to talk about sowing, establishment and what it takes to get your ryegrass pastures perennially thriving!

22 February 2021

Ryegrass Pastures

How to Make Your Perennial Ryegrass Pasture More Productive

Perennial ryegrass is one of the most popular pasture choices for dairy cows. Here are a few things that you can do to make your perennial ryegrass much more productive.

30 November 2020

Diseases, Pests & Weeds

Blind seed disease and what you can do to prevent it

Today, there is an increase in pasture disease outbreaks across the world. Let’s discuss blind seed disease and what we can do to control it. But we’ll do it through a hero and a villain. Our hero is perennial ryegrass and the villain that threatens its survival is none other than blind seed disease. So let’s discuss all the ways in which we can take this evil villain down!

18 September 2020

Ryegrass Pastures

All About Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass is the most commonly sown rye grass in Australia, New Zealand, USA and South Africa. It is an excellent all year round pasture with high nutrients and high yields, making this an ideal choice for long term pastures for many farmers like you! In this article, we’re going to discuss all about most-loved pasture species, and how you can maintain it well to ensure that you and your pastures give the best to your cows!

08 September 2020

Perennial Ryegrass Grazing Management

Perennial ryegrass is the go-to pasture species for farmers like you, all over Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK and South Africa. In this article, let’s talk about perennial ryegrass management, its different stages, and what you can do to maintain a bountiful pasture that’s poised for profit! So let’s get started and discuss all the grazing management questions you may have.

07 September 2020

Ryegrass Pastures

Annual Ryegrass

Annual ryegrass is a delicious annual pasture grass. It is high-quality and high-producing forage grass. It is one of the most expensive weeds in southern Australia. Almost like a yummy gourmet meal for your cows, cattle and sheep! In this article, we’ll be discussing all about annual ryegrass, what it can do for your pasture, and how to effectively manage it so you just get the good stuff out of it!

04 September 2020

Ryegrass Pastures

Choosing ryegrass cultivars based on forage value index (FVI) ratings

As a progressive farmer you want to manage a healthy, high-quality pasture. A healthy ryegrass pasture can improve your farm’s productivity and help you earn better profits. However, you do not know which perennial ryegrass cultivar might work best for you. This is where forage value index (FVI) can help you, especially, if you are located in southeast Australia. In this article, I tell you everything you need to know about FVI and how you can use it to select the best ryegrass cultivar for your season and growing region.

18 March 2020

Ryegrass Pastures

Everything you need to know for managing a ryegrass pasture

As a progressive livestock farmer, you are always finding ways to improve livestock health and profits. You can achieve both by ensuring that your livestock gets enough quality pasture to eat. To do this, you will need to make effective grazing decisions frequently. In this article I tell you everything you need to know about managing a low risk, high yield pasture species like ryegrass. Read this article to find out why you should choose ryegrass, which species you should choose, how to manage your grazing plans and improve your profits.