Historical Stocking Rate Vs Carrying Capacity
AgriWebb's Stocking Rate vs Carrying Capacity Report (SR:CC) enables you to look back historically across your farm (both whole farm or specific blocks), using cumulative stocking rate (DSE days / ha / 100 mm).
Compare against your own farm benchmark or long-term sustainable carrying capacity to see when you have been overstocked or understocked to plan ahead accordingly.
Setting Up & Navigating the Historical Report
To access the Stocking Rate vs Carrying Capacity report, you'll need to be subscribed to Performance on either Mob or Individual Animal Management (IAM) plans. Visit the Web App and navigate to Grazing > Stocking Rate vs Carrying Capacity to get started.
You’ll need 4 things to get started:
Stocking rate data (this you will already have, but if you have just started using AgriWebb you may not have full historical data yet)
Rainfall data
Benchmark carrying capacity
Historical Time Period
Farm View (either all or selected paddocks) - Optional
1. Stocking rate data
This will populate automatically based on your livestock stocking rate.
2. Rainfall
Firstly, select your preferred rain gauge to use for your rolling rainfall in the top right. Don’t have a rain gauge? Here is how you can add them.
3. Benchmark
At the top of the report you'll see your key stats.
Average Stocking Rate = average for the date range selected (we default to rolling 12 months). DSE Days measures grazing volume (total consumption over time) and is the number of DSE units multiplied by the number of days they spent in a paddock.
Average Capacity Gap = this is the average stocking load you were under or overstocked during the period selected. This value will populate once a benchmark value has been added.
Benchmark carrying capacity = add this to use as a comparison and tracking when you are overstocked.
To do this select +Add and choose the relevant date. If you need to update a historical benchmark, add a new benchmark with the same date and it will replace the existing benchmark.
Not sure what your benchmark/long-term sustainable carrying capacity is?
Think about how many DSE or LSU you usually run and your avg rainfall.
For example Long term we run 1 LSU per 4 ha and average rainfall of 600mm for 365 days
I.e. 1 LSU x 365 days per 4 ha per 600mm
Stock days = 1 x 365 days = 365 stock days per 4ha per 600mm
SDH = 365/4 = 91.25 per 600mm
SDH/100mm = 91.25/600mm /100mm = 15.2 SDH/100mm
Helpful Videos for calculating a benchmark from RCS:
4. Historical Time Period
Adjust the historical time period you'd like to display and view on the report. This will always be rolling from the today's date. You can toggle between 6 months, or 1, 2, 3, 4 to 5 years in the top right corner.
5. Farm View vs Paddock Groups (Optional)
You can select all paddocks to populate data for your stocking rate vs carrying capacity report or choose selected paddocks. This will be ideal for AgriWebb farms where multiple farms are running as blocks.
In the top right corner select the 'All paddocks' drop down, previously saved groups will display in the drop down. To add a new group or edit/delete a current group, select 'Manage groups'.
Select 'Add paddock group' and fill in all the details to create this paddock group. Once you press save, you can select this new paddock group for your reporting.
The paddock group functionality isn't currently possible if forecasting your stockflow, it is only for historical reporting at this stage.
Stocking Rate vs Benchmark Carrying Capacity Graph
The graph will be populated based on the monthly data seen in the table below the graph. On the left axis you'll see the Cumulative stocking rate (rolling 12 months) and on the right axis rainfall.
Green line = Benchmark carrying capacity. You can add new benchmarks over time and these changes in benchmark will be reflected on the chart..
Black line = The stocking rate (in SDH/100mm or DDH/100mm) will show as the black line when on target or understocked against the benchmark.
Red line and area = Indicates when stocking rate is overstocked against the benchmark.
Blue line = The rolling rainfall
Monthly Data (Table)
Below the graph you'll see a breakdown of monthly data. This can help you identify any gaps in your AgriWebb data and better understand the calculations.
Forecasted Stocking Rate Vs Carrying Capacity
Access to the Forecasted reporting is only available on the Grazing Planner Add-on, available to purchase with our Performance Plans via the AgriWebb Marketplace. For more information feel free to reach out to our Support Team.
The forecasted stocking rate vs carrying capacity enables you to look forward across your whole farm, using cumulative stocking rate (DSE days / ha / 100 mm), based on estimated changes in stock flow and long term average rainfall.
Compare against your own farm benchmark or long-term sustainable carrying capacity to understand when may potentially be best to sell or purchase in the future, and to help make calculated management decisions going forward.
Setting Up & Navigating the Forecasted Report
This report can be viewed combined with the historical stocking rate vs carrying capacity. Follow the steps outlined here to set up the historical section of the report.
To setup the forecasted section of the report, you’ll need 4 things to get started:
Stocking rate data (through the baseline stockflow section)
Rainfall data
Benchmark carrying capacity
Forecasted Time Period
The paddock group functionality isn't currently possible when forecasting your stockflow, it is currently only for historical reporting at this stage. The stockflow currently takes into account the whole farm.
1. Stocking rate data
Click on the Stockflow button (top right) to open your forecasted baseline stockflow calculator.
This will open your baseline stockflow for the next 12 months. Animals are set to automatically age within the stockflow to account for natural changes in age class. The stock units per month will also be based on your farm preferences, with the average stock unit defaulting to your current actuals. You can override and adjust any of this information on the stock flow.
You can toggle between cattle and sheep, as well head or animal unit depending on how you'd like to adjust the stock flow. The default view will also only show your current age classes but you can toggle on 'show all age classes' to make changes outside of your current livestock groups.
To update the baseline stock flow, click into the table on one of the age classes for a specific month.
From here you can adjust head count based on various events such as:
Purchases
Sales
Transfers On Farm
Transfers Off farm (can be used for agistment)
Monthly death rate (%)
Births - Only available on calves, heifers & cows + lambs, ewes & maiden ewes (if you update the dam age class for birth it will automatically adjust the offspring age class numbers)
Weaning - Only available on calves + lambs
If you make changes the month for the age class will be highlighted green, with a green up arrow for age classes that have increased in size, and a red down arrow for ages classed decreased in size.
Changes are automatically saved as you go. Once you're ready to head back to the main report click Done (top right).
2. Rainfall
Select the relevant rain gauge and to update Long-term averages, select the long-term rainfall button.
On the Long-term rainfall section, it will automatically pull through the long term average rainfall if you have been recording rainfall for previous years. However, you can override the exisiting values on this page if needed.
3. Benchmark carrying capacity
Review this section to better understand how to calculate your benchmark.
4. Forecasted Time Period
In the top right corner select to predict out the next 3, 6 or 12 months.
Creating Scenarios
Once you've created your baseline stockflow, you can test out future stock changes and rainfall predictions on your forecasted stocking rate vs carrying capacity using the 'Create Scenario' button.
Why create a scenario? You may already know the baseline stockflow changes you are going to make in the upcoming months. However, creating a scenario could allow you to understand how different rainfall conditions may impact your grazing management or if you want to test the impact on your grazing of purchasing or selling more or less stock. Other examples could be adjusting weaning dates or calving/lambing windows.
Start by following the same steps here to adjust your stockflow for this scenario. Any changes made on the scenario flow will be highlighted as purple. You can always reset the scenario changes back to the baseline stockflow version if needed.
You can also set the rainfall predictions, with avg 100% being your current long-term rainfall average. To test out drier/drought (low) conditions drag the rainfall indicator to the left and to the right for wetter (high) conditions.
Once you're happy with your changes, give the scenario a name and save. If you'd like this scenario to be your new baseline stockflow select update stockflow.
Back on the main report page, you can select the forecasting scenario you wish to view (it will default as the baseline stockflow). You can also edit or delete the scenario from here.
How to Interpret the Report
Overstocked
When you're overstocked the average capacity gap will present as red and as a positive number, this is also reflected on the graph with the area between the benchmark and stocking rate. This means that for that period of time you've got more stock than the land can carry (based on your benchmark). This may help you decide to de-stock/sell stock based on the difference (the stock days capacity gap) to meet the carrying capacity of your land.
In example above, the farm was overstocked mid Jul til early Oct.
Understocked
When you're understocked the average capacity gap will show as a black negative number. It will also say 'Understocked'. In the graph this will present as a black line. This means that for that period of time you've got less stock than what the land can comfortably carry (based on your allocated benchmark). This may help you decide to buy/agist stock based on the difference (the stock days capacity gap) to efficiently meet the carrying capacity of your land.
In example above, the farm was understocked or on target with the benchmark for most of year, with the exception of the period of time between mid Jul til early Oct.
Key Calculations
Stock Days: The number of DSE, LSU, AU or AE days grazed across the property. e.g. 100 DSE grazing for 10 days is 1000 DSE days.
Stock Days / ha / 100mm or inch of rainfall: The report shows cumulative stock days/ha/100mm using 12 month rolling data. e.g. the monthly value for April is:
12 month rolling stock days (May-April)
/ grazeable area on farm
/ 12 month rolling rainfall (May-April)
/ 100 (if using mm for rainfall, other just per inch)
Capacity Gap: The avg. animal units (stocking load) you were over or under the benchmark for the reporting period. This gives you an understanding of how many animal units (DSE/LSU etc.) you were over or under by.
Actual (Stock Days / ha / 100mm) vs benchmark: The % difference between your actual stocking rate vs the benchmark carrying capacity of your farm for the month or reporting period.
FAQs
Question | Answer |
Which plans have access to this report? | All Performance plans globally for the historical data. To access the Forecasted report, you will need the Grazing add-on. |
What info do I need to use the SR:CC report? | Rainfall, stocking (movement) records and a benchmark for your property. |
Can I use this SR:CC report if I run multiple blocks? | Yes, you can group paddocks together to get a historical report for a specific farm block. See here for further details. This isn't currently possible when forecasting. |
Can I view this on the App? | This report tool is only available on the web in the grazing tab. |
I manage my grazing on a kg DM/ha basis, how does the report work for my property? | This is a stocking rate focused report so we will use the units you have on farm (SDH/DDH or kg DM/ha) x days grazed / grazeable area. The carrying capacity is currently a benchmark for the average stocking rate you can carry on farm, standardised with the rolling rainfall to account for seasonal variability. |