Animal units per acre — see whether your forage quality and head count balance.
Verdict
100% of capacity
Balanced
AU available (pasture capacity)
20 ac × 1 AU/ac
20.0
AU demand (your herd)
20 head × 1 AU
20.0
Recommended max head
20 head
Adjustment
No change
An Animal Unit (AU) is a 1000 lb mature cow with calf consuming about 26 lb of dry matter per day. Other species are scaled to that reference — a ewe is 0.2 AU, a horse 1.25.
Forage quality varies hugely by region, rainfall, and management. These figures are starting points from NRCS and land-grant extension tables; a soil test and a grazing plan will refine them.
AU_available = acres × AU_per_acre
AU_demand = head_count × AU_equivalent
ratio = AU_demand ÷ AU_available