A feed wedge
is produced following a farm dry matter assessment walk as
a graphical display of pasture cover (kg DM/ha) in descending order.
An objective measuring device such as a suitably calibrated Grassmaster or rising plate meter is recommended to improve accuracy. A software toggle button is provided to display the same paddock order in a bar graph giving the total weight of dry matter (as cover per hectare multiplied by area).
The
feed wedge may be used as a guide to determine if
there is sufficient dry matter cover based on a trend
between upper and lower desired covers or pre and post
grazing levels.
The interpretation of the feed wedge changes
depending on the season; whether the property is
entering a period of increased or reduced pasture growth or
if pasture growth is to be boosted from the addition of
nitrogenous fertiliser.
During periods when supply exceeds demand feed
surpluses are expected and conversely when demand is greater than
predicted supply feed deficits are likely relative to cover
levels close to the trend line described above.
The trend line
overlay may be set within the bounds of 500-3500 kg
DM/ha
In
Feedpad QA the feed wedge is accessed from the
main control panel using the Go>Feed wedge
menu or clicking on the feed wedge
icon in the paddock database display.
