Holistic Land Planning

Design the ideal layout of infrastructure for your grazing operation — fencing, water points, handling facilities, and roads.

ℹ Land planning comes last. The ideal infrastructure layout is an end point toward which you build — based on your grazing and financial planning experience. Start managing the land as you find it first.
Step 1 — Gather important information

Issue checklist

Record natural, social and management factors that will shape your plan

Natural issues
Social issues
Management factors
Drives grazing unit count and paddock numbers
Higher = more brittle → larger divisions, herd effect focus

Infrastructure list

Running list of facilities needed — add as you work through each step

Step 2 — Maps and overlays

Overlay tracker

Record which map layers you have prepared. Keep the master map free of existing infrastructure to avoid anchoring bias.

⚠ Master map rule: the master map should show only features that are illegal or genuinely impractical to change — public roads, railway tracks, homesteads. Put existing fences and water points on a separate overlay.
Future landscape Hunting areas Winter wildlife range Wildlife movement routes Deeds, leases & permits Rights-of-way Multi-user features Fire danger & prevailing wind Crop / timber areas Inaccessible areas Existing fences & roads Existing water points Bulk water storage sites Snowdrift areas Flood areas Estate plan divisions Water rights & leases Mineral rights

Click to mark overlays as prepared. Connect your Geodatatrack KML on the Farm Map tab to import paddock polygons.

Step 3 — Grazing unit and herd sizes

Planning circles calculator

Compute optimum grazing unit size and maximum distance to water — Savory Institute formula

Land will be divided equally between units

Herd size & scenario comparison

Compare unit configurations — cost per head, cost per hectare, distance to water

Water demand calculator

15 L/SAU/day small stock · 40–80 L/SAU/day large stock (Savory Institute standard)

AD/$ fence sequencer

Rank proposed fences by animal-days per dollar of cost — build highest-return fence first

Fence / paddock created Area (ha) ADA/ha Total ADA Fence cost AD/$ Priority
— — —
— — —
AD/$ = (paddock area × ADA/ha) ÷ fence cost. Build the highest-ranked fence first.
Steps 4–6 — Plan design and implementation

Generate plans

Step 4 — Brainstorm multiple layout variants before committing

ℹ Creative planning is most effective as a group exercise. Divide planners into small teams (3–6 people), give each team the master map and planning circles, and ask them to generate as many layout variants as possible without anchoring on existing fences. Use the Farm Map tab to sketch ideas over your KML-imported paddock layer.
Open Farm Map for layout sketching →

Select and refine the ideal plan

Step 5 — Check each candidate plan against your overlays and context checks

Run context checks →

Implementation schedule

Step 6 — Break the plan into smallest plausible steps; only build what earns money this year

Task Est. cost Est. time Year Status
Only implement what earns, rather than costs, money — governed by your annual holistic financial plan.