{
  "slug": "pasture-rest-rotation",
  "title": "Pasture Rest & Rotation Planner",
  "heading": "Pasture Rest & Rotation Calculator",
  "category": "other",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pasture-rest-rotation",
  "summary": "Number of paddocks and rest days needed for a rotational grazing plan.",
  "description": "Rotational grazing works because rest periods let grass rebuild root reserves and leaf area after defoliation, but too few paddocks force you back onto grass before it's recovered, defeating the purpose. This calculator takes your target rest period (which should track regrowth speed — faster in spring, slower in summer heat or drought) and your grazing period per paddock to compute how many paddocks a rotation needs, then converts that into total acres per paddock given herd size and stocking density. Most well-designed rotational systems need at least 8-12 paddocks to hit meaningful rest periods without grazing periods that are so long they allow regrazing of the same regrowth.",
  "formula": "Paddocks needed = (rest days ÷ grazing days per paddock) + 1; acres per paddock = total acres ÷ paddocks needed.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=pasture-rest-rotation",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "totalAcres",
      "label": "Total grazing acres",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 120,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "restDays",
      "label": "Target rest period",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 35,
      "unit": "days",
      "min": 10,
      "max": 90
    },
    {
      "id": "grazeDaysPerPaddock",
      "label": "Grazing period per paddock",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3,
      "unit": "days",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 14
    },
    {
      "id": "head",
      "label": "Head in the rotation",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 100,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "paddocks",
      "label": "Paddocks needed",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "acresPerPaddock",
      "label": "Acres per paddock",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "cycleDays",
      "label": "Full rotation cycle length",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "headAcreDay",
      "label": "Stock density during grazing",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Total grazing acres: 120",
      "Target rest period: 35 days",
      "Grazing period per paddock: 3 days",
      "Head in the rotation: 100"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Paddocks needed: 13",
      "Acres per paddock: 9.2",
      "Full rotation cycle length: 39",
      "Stock density during grazing: 32.5"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter total grazing acres.",
      "Enter target rest period (days).",
      "Enter grazing period per paddock (days).",
      "Enter head in the rotation.",
      "Read your paddocks needed on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "totalAcres": 72,
        "restDays": 21,
        "grazeDaysPerPaddock": 2,
        "head": 60
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "totalAcres": 120,
        "restDays": 35,
        "grazeDaysPerPaddock": 3,
        "head": 100
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "totalAcres": 192,
        "restDays": 56,
        "grazeDaysPerPaddock": 5,
        "head": 160
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary.",
    "Results are rounded for readability; add a buffer before ordering, booking, or committing.",
    "Double-check anything with a real cost attached against a local quote."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How long should rest periods be?",
      "a": "Spring flush regrowth can support 18-25 day rests, while summer slump and drought conditions often need 45-60+ days for the same recovery. Watching the grass, specifically new leaf regrowth reaching the 3-leaf stage, is more reliable than a fixed calendar number."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why not just use fewer, bigger paddocks?",
      "a": "Fewer paddocks force either shorter rest (grass doesn't fully recover) or longer grazing periods per paddock (cattle regraze the same regrowth, which is the most damaging pattern for plant vigor). More paddocks let you keep grazing periods short while still hitting the target rest."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's a practical minimum number of paddocks to start with?",
      "a": "Most graziers see meaningful improvement moving from continuous grazing to just 4-6 paddocks, but 8-12+ is where you start reliably matching rest periods to actual regrowth rates across a full season without constant fence-moving fatigue."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does stock density during grazing matter beyond paddock count?",
      "a": "Yes — higher stock density for a shorter time improves grazing distribution and manure spread compared to low density for a long time, even at the same total animal-days per acre. This is the core lever in high-intensity, short-duration systems like mob grazing."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/grazing-carrying-capacity",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/livestock-water-requirement",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/hay-bale-cost-per-ton"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Pasture Rest & Rotation Planner (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pasture-rest-rotation)"
}