1. The pasture and the lease
Change the numbers or load the example, then click Work out the lease.
Result
| Line | Value |
|---|
If forage falls (drought)
| Forage | AUMs | Head | Rent |
|---|
How the numbers work, and what they leave out
- AUMs = acres × forage per acre × share grazed ÷ daily intake per animal unit ÷ 30.4. Head = animal-unit days ÷ season days ÷ animal units per head.
- Hay cost per AUM = daily intake × 30.4 ÷ hay dry matter ÷ (1 − waste) ÷ 2,000 × price per ton.
- Rancher ceiling = hay cost per AUM − the rancher's extra cost on the lease. Owner floor = (alternative income + owner's costs) per acre ÷ AUMs per acre.
- Not modelled: water development, cross-fencing, weed or brush control, livestock death-loss liability, gain-based or cattle-price-indexed rent, rotation, taxes and the lease contract itself.
Common questions
What is an AUM and how do I price a grazing lease per AUM?
An animal unit month is the forage that feeds one 1,000 lb animal unit for a month, about 780 lb of dry matter. Leases are often quoted per AUM, per head per month or per acre. Divide the season's usable forage by what an animal unit eats to get the AUMs, then multiply by the rent per AUM. This tool does that arithmetic from your numbers.
How many cows can my pasture carry?
Acres times forage per acre times the share you can graze, divided by what an animal unit eats per day, gives animal-unit days. Divide by the days in the season for animal units, then by the animal units each head counts for (a cow-calf pair is often about 1.2). Enter your own forage figure; your NRCS office or extension agent can give one for your soil and rainfall.
What rent per AUM makes sense for the rancher?
Up to the cost of feeding the same month as hay, less the extra costs the lease adds (hauling, water, fence checks). Above that, hay is cheaper. The tool computes both from your hay price, moisture and waste.
What should a landowner ask?
At least enough that rent per acre, after the fence, water and tax costs the owner carries, matches what the land would earn another way. The tool shows that floor per AUM and tells you whether it sits below the rancher's ceiling.
What happens in a drought?
Carrying capacity falls with forage. The drought table shows head and total rent at 75% and 50% of the forage you entered, so a lease can include a stocking-reduction clause both sides can see the cost of.
Where do the numbers come from?
From you. The tool contains no rental rate surveys, hay prices or forage data. The example values are made up.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser tab and nothing is sent anywhere. There are no accounts.
Is this legal or financial advice?
No. It is arithmetic on numbers you enter. A lease needs an attorney's review, and stocking rates should be checked with your extension agent or NRCS office.