A reference unit that aggregates different types and ages of livestock based on their nutritional needs and grazing impact. One unit typically represents the feed requirement of a single mature dairy cow, often defined as producing 3,000 kg of milk annually. Farmers and regulators use this calculation to determine stocking rates, ensuring a pasture is neither overgrazed nor underutilized.
Heard on the job
The environmental permit restricts us to two livestock units per hectare on the permanent pasture.
Also heard as
- LSU
- animal unit