DairyNZ tools
Feed budgets
Having a feed budget is essential to making the best decisions around managing your feed requirements.
Feed budgets are essential tools in dairy farming as they determine the feed supply and demand over a 12-month period, allowing farmers to effectively manage their resources. By utilizing these budgets, farmers can determine their average pasture cover over time.
This information is crucial for making informed decisions about feed allocation, ensuring optimal nutrition for the herd, and maintaining pasture quality. Using a feed budget annually in your dairy farming business maximises productivity and profitability through the accurate allocation of feed.
Use the Feed Budget below to calculate feed supply and demand over a 12-month period.
The Simple Feed Budget
The simple feed budget is a useful tool for proactive decision making. This budget can be used at any stage of the season but is best used as a partial budget for the following periods:
- As an autumn budget through to June 1 or dry off cover target.
- As a winter budget from June 1 through to Planned Start of Calving.
- From Planned Start of Calving through to Balance Date.
The simple feed budget is a useful tool for checking average pasture cover targets. These example budgets are available as extra tabs in the Simple Feed Budget Calculator.