Knowing your ranch can promote accuracy in estimating grazeable acres 

Estimating grazeable acreage as well as forage availability is vital to understanding the carrying capacity of a ranch and accurately setting a proper stocking rate. Mapping software (i.e., ArcGIS) is a tool commonly used to estimate grazeable acreage for cattle, with minimal technical expertise required. With this tool, managers can use aerial imagery of their ranch to determine grazeable acreage quickly by subtracting wooded areas and large water features from the total acreage of the ranch. However, when using this technique, it is important to consider all the factors that may limit grazeability. What a manager describes as grazeable acres when evaluating an aerial image may not always be graze-worthy or even accessible to cattle on the ground, as a multi-year Noble Research Institute grazing study has shown. Read more at www.noble.org…