Estimating Pasture/Rangeland Forage Production: Wet Samples

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Directions: This interactive spreadsheet is intended as an exploratory tool to help you estimate pasture/rangeland forage production (pounds per acre) for forage samples that are freshly clipped and were weighed in the field (not air dried). The yellow boxes are provided for you to enter your own information. You will need to double click in the box to activate the spreadsheet so that you can enter data. You must use the yellow percentage boxes towards the bottom of this spreadsheet to indicate the forage type and the stage of growth of the vegetation you sampled. For example, if I sampled the forage from a western wheatgrass pasture during the month of April I might assume that 90% of it was cool season grass in the pre-boot stage and that 10% of it was old stems (dead stems / Dormant / Very Dry) from last year. No matter what kind of vegetation you have, the total percentage for your sample should equal 100%. The Green boxes at the bottom will automatically calculate for you. You don't need to enter 10 bags of forage sample data. However, if you enter data for more than one bag, then the spreadsheet will automatically calculate the average for you. If you are having difficulty calculating forage production (pounds per acre) please consider contacting a local state extension agent for assistance. If you air dried your forage samples, then return to the main menu and use the Air Dried Forage Calculation Spreadsheet. If you would like to read more about how to estimate forage production on your own (click here).