Getting pasture management right can feel like a guessing game. You walk the fields, eyeball the grass height, and make your best estimate about when to move stock or take a paddock for silage. But what if there was a better way? Enter the platemeter – a simple tool that's revolutionising how farmers measure dry matter and make grazing decisions.
What Actually Is a Platemeter?
A platemeter (also called a rising plate meter) is a straightforward device that measures compressed grass height. As you walk across your pasture, a weighted plate sits on top of the grass, and the meter records the height. Modern electronic versions can even calculate dry matter yields on the spot and store data for multiple paddocks.
The Real Benefits of Using a Platemeter
1. Accuracy That Saves Money
Visual estimates of grass cover can be wildly inaccurate – studies show farmers can be out by 40% or more. That's the difference between having enough feed for your herd and coming up short (or wasting silage you didn't need to buy). A platemeter gives you objective measurements you can actually rely on.
2. Better Grazing Decisions
When you know precisely how much dry matter is available, you can calculate grazing days with confidence. No more moving cattle too early and wasting grass, or too late and damaging the sward. You'll know exactly when each paddock is ready for grazing and when it's time to rotate.
3. Improved Grass Utilisation
Most farms only utilise about 65-70% of the grass they grow. With regular platemeter readings, you can push that figure into the 80s, which translates directly into more milk or meat from forage and less reliance on expensive concentrates.
4. Identifying Problem Areas
Regular monitoring reveals which paddocks are underperforming. Perhaps that corner field isn't responding to fertiliser like it should, or maybe drainage issues are holding back growth. The data from your platemeter walks helps you spot these issues before they become serious problems.
5. Planning Ahead
Historical platemeter data is invaluable for planning. You'll build up a picture of seasonal growth patterns, learn when your grass typically takes off in spring, and anticipate the summer slump. This means you can plan silage cuts, adjust stocking rates, or arrange grazing leases with far more confidence.
6. Taking Emotion Out of Decisions
We all have our favourite paddocks and our prejudices about which fields perform best. A platemeter doesn't care about any of that – it gives you cold, hard facts. Sometimes the data surprises you, and that's exactly when it's most valuable.
The Numbers Don't Lie
Let's look at a practical example. Say you have a 30-hectare grazing platform and you improve grass utilisation from 70% to 80% through better measurement and management. On a typical dairy farm growing 12 tonnes DM per hectare annually, that's an extra 360 tonnes of dry matter utilised. At a conservative value of £200 per tonne DM, you've just added £72,000 worth of feed to your system – all from grass you were already growing.
It's Not Just for Large Farms
You might think platemeters are only worthwhile for large commercial operations, but even smaller farms benefit enormously. The principles of good grazing management apply regardless of scale. If anything, smaller operations often have tighter margins and can least afford to waste grass or make poor decisions about supplementary feeding.
Getting Started
Modern electronic platemeters are more affordable than ever, with decent models available from around £1,000. That might seem steep, but when you consider the improvements in grass utilisation and feed planning, most farmers see a return on investment within a single season.
The key is consistency. Walk your paddocks once a week during the growing season, ideally on the same day each time. It takes about an hour to cover a typical grazing platform, and the data you gather is worth its weight in gold.
The Bottom Line
Farming is increasingly about data-driven decisions, and your pasture is no exception. A platemeter transforms pasture management from an art into a science – one where you're making informed decisions based on actual measurements rather than gut feeling.
Whether you're trying to maximise milk from forage, improve finishing times on beef cattle, or simply make your grass go further, a platemeter gives you the information you need to do it. In an industry where margins are tight and feed costs keep rising, that's not just useful – it's essential.
Stop guessing. Start measuring. Your farm finances will thank you for it.