Efficient Pasture Management: The Key to Productivity in Tropical Livestock

Much more than keeping the grass green

From the use of traditional forage cultivars to modern satellite monitoring technologies, the success of livestock production depends directly on efficient pasture management.

More than keeping the grass green, the real goal is to harvest forage plants at their optimal nutritional point, turning grass into meat and milk with maximum efficiency.

In simple terms, managing a pasture well means knowing the right time for animals to enter and leave, avoiding undergrazing or overgrazing, and ensuring a balance between productivity and sustainability.

1️⃣ Light interception (LI): the secret to perfect grazing timing

Light interception measures how much sunlight is captured by the pasture canopy before it reaches the soil.

Research shows that the optimal grazing point for most tropical forages occurs between 92% and 95% light interception.

Why does it matter?

• Before this point, the pasture is still in active growth;

• After this stage, stems and old leaves accumulate, reducing nutritional quality;

• Helps prevent grazing that’s too early or too late.

Practical example:
In Panicum maximum cv. Mombaça, 95% LI corresponds to approximately 90 cm in height.

🔹 Benefit: identifies the right moment for cattle entry, maximizing productivity and nutritional value.

2️⃣ Entry and exit height of the pasture

Each forage species has ideal heights for the start and end of grazing.

• Entry height: depends on the canopy structure and leaf-to-stem ratio. Excessively tall pastures increase biomass but lower quality.

• Exit height: must protect the regrowth buds and preserve plant reserves.

Practical examples:

• Mombaça: entry between 80–90 cm | exit between 35–40 cm.

• Brachiaria brizantha: entry between 30–40 cm | exit between 15–20 cm.

🔹 Benefit: ensures balance between animal intake and regrowth vigor.

3️⃣ Growth rate and dry matter availability

The growth rate (kg DM/ha/day) shows how much forage biomass the pasture produces per day, while dry matter availability (DM) represents the total forage available before grazing.

How to measure:

• Using quadrats or exclusion cages;

• Height difference with calibration formulas;

• Technological tools or predictive models.

🔹 Benefit: helps determine the ideal stocking rate, avoiding overgrazing (forage deficit) and undergrazing (old, low-quality grass).

4️⃣ Regrowth capacity: the engine of sustainability

Regrowth capacity is the pasture’s ability to recover quickly after grazing.
It depends on factors such as light, temperature, soil fertility, carbohydrate reserves, and previous management.

🔹 Why is it essential?

• Ensures pasture persistence over the years;

• Reduces renovation costs;

• Maintains productivity even during dry or cold periods.

5️⃣ Technology as an ally in modern management

Modern livestock production already uses digital tools to optimize management:

• Satellite imagery that correlates color, height, and pasture quality;

• Drones equipped with high-resolution sensors to map productivity;

• Real-time applications and systems, notifying via WhatsApp when it’s time to move the herd.

These technologies are revolutionizing pasture management, making tropical livestock production more efficient, sustainable, and profitable.

Efficient pasture management is the true foundation of high-performance livestock production.
Following technical parameters — such as light interception, entry and exit height, and growth rate — allows producers to increase productivity, reduce feed costs, and enhance profitability.

As the saying goes, adapted to modern livestock:

“Today, what fattens cattle isn’t just the owner’s eye — it’s data, sensors, and smart management.”