For producers looking to get more value from their feedbase data, the Australian Feedbase Monitor (AFM) and PastureKey aren’t competing tools, they’re designed to work together.
AFM provides a strong starting point. As a free tool, it delivers a whole-of-property view of pasture conditions, including total standing dry matter, ground cover and seasonal trends. With updates every few days and access to historical data, it allows you to track how your country responds over time and compare current conditions to previous seasons. This makes AFM a practical tool for benchmarking and identifying broader trends that may impact your operation.
Where AFM gives you the big picture, PastureKey adds the detail. Using higher resolution satellite imagery, it allows you to assess variability at the paddock level, helping you understand what’s really happening on the ground. This level of insight is particularly valuable when conditions are variable, as it allows you to respond more precisely rather than managing paddocks as a single average.
PastureKey also brings a range of practical tools that turn data into action. One of its standout features is the forage budget calculator, which helps you quantify how much feed you have available and how long it’s likely to last under different stocking scenarios. Instead of relying on estimates, producers can use real data to support decisions around stocking rates, rotations and supplementary feeding. This can be especially useful during tighter seasons, where small changes can have a big impact on outcomes.
Used together, AFM and PastureKey provide a more complete and reliable picture of your feedbase. AFM can help you identify emerging trends or areas of concern across the property, such as declining feed availability or changes in ground cover. From there, PastureKey allows you to zoom in and investigate those areas in more detail, supporting more informed and timely decisions at a paddock scale.
This combination of strategic and tactical insight can improve both planning and day-to-day management. For example, you might use AFM to guide seasonal planning or assess how your property is tracking overall, while relying on PastureKey to fine-tune grazing rotations, allocate stock, or plan feed usage more accurately.
Importantly, starting with AFM and adding PastureKey as needed gives producers flexibility. You can begin with a broad overview at no cost, and then layer in more detailed insights as your operation requires it. Both tools are built on the same underlying satellite technology, making the transition seamless and ensuring consistency across your data.
Ultimately, better feedbase information leads to better decisions. By using AFM and PastureKey together, producers can reduce uncertainty, respond more effectively to seasonal conditions, and make the most of the feed they have available.
For more details on how AFM and PastureKey compliment each other, follow this LINK or to see how the AFM and PastureKey can assist you at your place, create a FREE Cibo Labs Dashboard account today!