Spring is getting closer, and for many producers, preparations are already underway.
Whether you've started planning your grazing strategy or you're only beginning to think about the season ahead, now is a useful time to check where your feedbase sits and consider what you'll need to know as conditions begin to change.
You can't control what spring will deliver. But you can make sure you're ready to respond to it.
A good place to start is with your current pasture conditions.
How much feed is available? Which paddocks have been grazed harder through winter? Where is ground cover holding up? Which paddocks could benefit from more recovery time?
Understanding where you're starting from gives you a baseline to compare against as spring conditions develop.
With PastureKey, you can use TSDM, Fractional Cover, variability mapping and historical trends to build a paddock-level picture of your feedbase across the entire property.
Preparing for spring doesn't mean predicting exactly what the season will do.
Instead, think about the decisions you may need to make under different conditions.
If pasture growth takes off, which paddocks will you graze first and which will you give more time to recover?
If growth is slower than expected, how long will your existing feed last?
And at what point might you need to reconsider stock movements, grazing pressure or supplementary feeding?
Having those decision points in mind now can make it easier to respond when conditions begin to change.
When spring rain does arrive, don't just watch the rain gauge, watch what your pasture does next.
Different paddocks can respond very differently to the same rainfall event. Green cover may increase quickly in one area while another takes longer to respond, and an increase in greenness doesn't necessarily mean there's immediately more feed available.
PastureKey allows you to monitor those changes over time, helping you see where growth is occurring, how biomass is changing and how individual paddocks are responding.
As the season approaches, it may be worth asking:
Do I know how much feed I have now?
Which paddocks need recovery?
What will I do if growth arrives earlier, or later, than expected?
How will I know when conditions are beginning to change?
You don't need to know exactly what spring will bring. You just need enough information to recognise opportunities and challenges early and make decisions accordingly.
Whether your spring planning is already underway or you're just getting started, now is a great time to take stock of your feedbase and think about what comes next.
Get ahead of spring. Explore your feedbase with PastureKey and start planning your next grazing decisions with a clearer picture of what’s happening across your property.