Originally presented in 2024 as a MaiaGrazing LIVE session

‍MaiaGrazing LIVE Replay: Cut Winter Feed Costs - Top three things to extend your grazing season.

In this session, internationally recognised grazing educator Jim Gerrish joined us to discuss practical strategies for reducing winter feed costs by extending the grazing season.

Winter feeding is one of the largest variable costs in many grazing businesses. While the exact percentage varies between operations, purchased feed, hay and supplementation through winter can place significant pressure on margins.

The core message of the webinar was simple:

Every grazing management decision is a business decision.

As Jim Gerrish put it during the session:

“Every grazing management decision that you make is a business decision, because it’s the primary determinant of profitability in your business.”

The conversation focused on three practical areas graziers can review when looking to extend grazing into the dormant season.

1. Get Your Stock Policy Right

Your stock policy determines your level of winter pressure before winter even begins.

Stock policy refers to the type and class of livestock you choose to carry through each season. Lactating animals have very different nutritional demands compared to dry stock. Growing animals require a different feed quality than mature maintenance stock.

If your livestock class does not match your winter feed base, supplementation becomes unavoidable.

The key questions raised in the webinar were straightforward:

• What classes of livestock are you carrying?
• How many head, and at what liveweight?
• When do they arrive, and when do they leave?

Extending the grazing season often begins with aligning livestock demand to your resource base, not trying to push pasture beyond its limits.

2. Plan Winter Feed During the Growing Season

Winter feed supply is largely determined months earlier.

During the growing season, producers have the opportunity to identify paddocks suitable for stockpiling, assess species composition and plan how feed will be allocated once growth slows.

Some pasture species maintain quality deeper into the dormant period. Others decline rapidly. Knowing what is present in each paddock allows for more deliberate planning.

The principle is simple: you cannot extend grazing if you have not reserved forage.

This requires discipline during periods of strong growth. It can feel counterintuitive not to fully utilise feed when it is abundant, but strategic stockpiling may reduce purchased feed later.

3. Monitor Forage Supply and Match Demand

Extending grazing requires clarity around feed inventory.

As the growing season closes, the amount of standing forage available becomes your feed bank until the next green-up. Dormancy timing varies widely across regions. Western Australia differs from northern Queensland, which differs again from southern Victoria.

Because of that variability, local monitoring matters more than generic advice.

Producers were encouraged to regularly assess:

• How much feed is currently available?
• How much deterioration or wastage is likely under local conditions?
• How long must this resource last?
• Does livestock demand exceed supply?

If demand and supply are misaligned, the adjustment should happen early. That may involve reducing numbers, changing livestock class or introducing supplementation strategically rather than reactively.

Records Matter

A consistent theme throughout the session was the value of accurate records.

Paper notes and memory have limits. Historical grazing records, forage observations and stocking decisions become significantly more useful when they can be reviewed and compared season to season.

This webinar was originally delivered under the MaiaGrazing name. Since then, MaiaGrazing has evolved into Atlas Grazing.

The core purpose remains the same: helping graziers align livestock demand with available pasture and plan seasonal decisions with greater clarity.

Digitising grazing records allows you to:

1. Review past winter performance
2. Forecast feed supply against demand
3. Model stocking changes before implementing them
4. Build flexible grazing plans based on real data

Extending the grazing season is rarely about a single tactic. It is about consistent, informed decisions made throughout the year.

If you would like to see how Atlas Grazing supports seasonal planning and feed budgeting, you can request a demonstration and explore how your historical data can guide future performance.