How Pasture.io Supports Different Pasture Measuring Methods?

Pasture.io is designed to support the way you measure and manage pasture, whether you use farm walks, a rising plate meter, a tow-behind meter, a phone camera tool, visual assessments, or Pasture.io’s satellite-backed pasture readings.

The key difference is how each Pasture.io plan is used.

Fundamental is designed to help you record and manage pasture measurements from whatever measuring method you use on farm.

Essential and Ultimate are add-ons that use satellite imagery, local weather data, farm records and modelling to estimate pasture cover and growth across your farm.

This means you can use Pasture.io as a central place for your pasture information, while choosing the measurement approach that best suits your farm.

How Fundamental supports pasture measurements

The Fundamental plan is designed to take in pasture measurements from your preferred measuring method.

This may include:

• rising plate meter readings
• tow-behind pasture meter readings
• phone camera-based pasture measurements
• cut-and-weigh samples
• visual assessments
• other pasture measuring tools or methods

These measurements can be entered into Pasture.io so you can keep your pasture records in one place and use them to support grazing decisions over time.

How Essential and Ultimate add-ons support pasture readings

The Essential and Ultimate add-ons go further by generating Pasture.io pasture readings for your farm.

These readings are produced using satellite imagery, local weather data, farm records and modelling to help estimate pasture cover and growth across paddocks.

This can help you:

• track pasture trends across the farm
• compare paddocks more easily
• see changes in pasture cover and growth
• support grazing and feed allocation decisions
• identify where a manual check may be useful

Essential and Ultimate are designed to reduce the need for routine manual measuring by giving you regular pasture insights across your farm.

Can I still use my own measuring tool?

Yes. You can continue using any pasture measuring method that works for your farm.

If you use a plate meter, tow-behind meter, phone camera tool, visual assessment, or another method, those measurements can still be entered into Pasture.io.

This is especially useful if you want to:

• keep using an existing measuring process
• compare readings over time
• check a specific paddock before grazing
• add an on-farm reference point
• build confidence in pasture trends

Why readings may differ between methods

Different pasture measuring methods can produce different results.

A plate meter, tow-behind meter, phone camera tool, visual assessment, or satellite-backed reading may each use different formulas, sampling methods or modelling approaches.

This does not always mean one number is right and another is wrong.

The most useful approach is to look at trends over time, keep your records consistent, and use the information to support practical grazing decisions.