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Calculating your Benchmark Carrying Capacity in Relation to Rainfall

How to calculate and set your Carrying Capacity Benchmark

MaiaGrazing calculates your actual Stocking Rate on a monthly basis.

This information is displayed on your Analytics Dashboard in your kg.DM per Hectare per 100mm or Stock days per Acre per inch Rainfall chart.

This information is compared to your Benchmark Carrying Capacity and indicates if your current stocking rate is over or under your benchmark.

Numbers you will need to know:

NORTH AMERICAN USERS CLICK HERE

Calculating your Benchmark Carrying Capacity

There are 2 ways to calculate your Benchmark Carrying Capacity

  1. With a spreadsheet

  2. Manually with pen, paper, and calculator

1. Benchmark Carrying Capacity - Spreadsheet

For a spreadsheet to quickly calculate your Benchmark Carrying Capacity please 'Send us a Message' in the chat bot and ask the support team to email you a copy.

2. Benchmark Carrying Capacity - Calculate Manually

Calculating your Benchmark using LSU:

  1. Calculate your long term average carrying capacity: ___ha/LSU

  2. Divide 365 by ___ha/LSU = _______ Stockdays/ha (SDH)

  3. Calculate average annual rainfall = _______ mm

  4. Your CALCULATED BENCHMARK SDH/100MM = SDH divided by (mm/100) = ________ SDH/100mm

For example -

  1. Calculate your long term average carrying capacity: 1.94ha/LSU

  2. Divide 365 by 1.94 ha/LSU = 188 Stockdays/ha (SDH)

  3. Calculate average annual rainfall = 647 mm

  4. Your CALCULATED BENCHMARK SDH/100MM = 188 divided by (647/100) = 188 divided by 6.47 = 29.06 SDH/100mm (Carrying Capacity Benchmark)

Calculating your Benchmark using DSE:

  1. Calculate your long term average carrying capacity: ___DSE/ha

  2. Multiply ___DSE/ha by 365 = _______ DSE days/ha (DDH)

  3. Calculate average annual rainfall = _______ mm

  4. Your CALCULATED BENCHMARK DDH/100MM = DDH divided by (mm/100) = ________ DDH/100mm

For example -

  1. Calculate your long term average carrying capacity: 10 DSE/ha

  2. Multiply 10 DSE/ha by 365 = 3650 DSE days/ha (DDH)

  3. Calculate average annual rainfall = 825 mm

  4. Your CALCULATED BENCHMARK DDH/100MM = 3650 divided by (825/100) = 3650 / 8.25 = 442.42 DDH/100mm (Carrying Capacity Benchmark)

Setting your Benchmark in the MaiaGrazing program

  • Click on the cog wheel Cog Wheel in the top right hand corner of the screen.

  • Click on 'Property Carrying Capacity'.

  • Type your calculated carrying capacity in the box at the top left of the screen underneath 'Property Carrying Capacity'

  • Click on 'Save'.

What happens then?

MaiaGrazing will then take you to your Analytics Dashboard where you will see:

  • your Benchmark Carrying Capacity represented as a black straight line (1),

  • your rolling rainfall as a blue line (2),

  • your actual stocking rate represented by a green line (3).

Stockdays Hectare

You can now use this benchmark to match your stocking rate to your carrying capacity throughout the year.

Remember to set your benchmark at a level that is resulting in the farm regenerating through increased ground cover, biodiversity of species and increase water utilization.

If you need assistance in calculating and understanding your Carrying Capacity Benchmark please contact the support team.

Reference: RCS 2015 Stocking Rate and Carrying Capacity 2015