Feed planning

Everything you need to know about feed quantity, quality and allocation, with B+LNZ tools and guides for feed planning.

Sward stick

Please contact B+LNZ's resources team at resources@beeflambnz.com to request printed copies of resources.

These downloadable templates can be used to do a basic feed budget, for all or part of your farm as appropriate. Download the spreadsheet (requires Excel) or print out the worksheets and fill in by hand:

FeedSmart tool

The FeedSmart tool was developed by Beef + Lamb New Zealand with the Red Meat Profit Partnership to make it easier for farmers to plan stock feeding. It takes the feed tables published in books such as “A guide to feed planning for sheep farmers” (PDF, 2.7 MB) and makes them available at the click of the mouse, or the tap of your finger. FeedSmart works on any computer, tablet or smartphone. It can be saved so that it works offline – anywhere, anytime.

How to videos

Simple Feed Budget

  • This B+LNZ software is a free feed budgeting programme to install on your computer. Quick and simple to use, it will help you work out a feed budget for all or part of your farm, for a set period of time.
  • Use in conjunction with Feedsmart to get stock feed demand requirements. 
  • To obtain this program, please email: resources@beeflambnz.com

Q Graze

  • Q-Graze is a stand alone computer package that uses visual pasture quality assessments to predict the quality of the pasture, the intake of young growing sheep and cattle, and their liveweight gain.
  • Q-Graze will help to make effective grazing management decisions and provide information on factors governing pasture quality. Q-Graze was developed by AgResearch under contract to Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
  • For assistance in using Q-Graze, we recommend this manual 
  • To obtain this computer package, please email: resources@beeflambnz.com

Any feed budget is a forecast, and its important to monitor how it works out in reality. Body Condition Scoring of ewes and/or of cows is the best tool for you to make sure your feed budget is working as intended.

Body Condition Scoring can help you prioritise feed to the stock who need it. This way you will not waste any feed on stock who don’t need condition put on.

Factsheets

Videos

Module

App

As a handy tool to record and analyse BCS as you score mobs, Australian Wool Innovation’s ‘Lifetime Ewe Management App’ is free and available at the App store and the Google Play store.

For more information on the app, visit the Australian Wool Innovation Limited website. 

Resource books

See this simple guideline thanks to our friends at Deer Industry NZ and AgResearch on how to measure your crops for winter and budget feed requirements for your stock.

Guidelines on assessing pasture mass using tools such as sward sticks or rising plate meters:

Whether wintering dairy cows or rearing dairy heifers, DairyNZ have information for dairy cattle feed planning that might be of use. View feed planning information on their website.

Most deer are farmed alongside sheep and cattle. Deer Industry New Zealand have lots of information on feed planning for deer. View the ‘Feeding’ section of their website.

Hear from farmers and industry experts on the value of feed budgeting, and how to use it in your farm.

From the Knowledge Hub