Value of pasture produced in your Area?

[Stocker Steve]

If I add typical rent per acre plus annual inputs, and divide this by the average yield per acre, I end up with 1.1 to 1.5 cents US per pound of dry matter.

What is the $/lb dry matter in your area?

 

[novatech]

It really makes no difference without knowing what the nutritional value of the dry matter is.
The management of the forage would even play a role.
I have never done the figuring but could see how it could be useful in adjusting pasture management.
I would intrested in knowing how you did your calculations.

 

[Dave]

I come up with a high $0.008 on the better pasture to a low of $0.0033 on some swampy canary grass. That is simply rent per acre divided by pounds of production. There are other cost of production that should be factored in and in the case of the canary grass the utilization % is questionable.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Pasture rent is fairly low here - - down to $15 for unimproved pasture, up to $40 for converted hay fields. That will change if corn stays high. Sounds like some rents are going to $70...
We have heavy soil and yield varies pretty much with the rent - - 1.75 to 5 tons on a decent year.
Waste varies a lot with when and how you graze it, with 50 to 60% utilization being good.
Pasture inputs for me are spot spraying (almost no cost), clipping most acres once per year (about $16 on converted hay fields), and an annual early spring kick start of manure or N/S/B (about $34 average) on most acres.
No establishment cost is included!

So for a very optimistic improved pasture example: (30+34+16)/(5*2000*.6)=$0.013
So for a somewhat optimistic no input pasture example: (15)/(1.75*2000*.5)=$0.009

Once pasture costs start getting over 3 cents per pound you have to think about buying in forage... It costs money to handle it but you get lots of manure