What does satellite paddock monitoring actually show?
Satellite pasture monitoring shows my own paddocks from space on clear passes, often a few days apart. No daily data entry or walk across every paddock.
How does BlueStem watch the grass?
You draw paddocks once. Weather updates daily; satellite readings come when skies allow. You get help deciding which paddock is ready and when to move.
- You draw your paddocks in the app — once. Search the map, outline each grazing unit, and name it. We can still sit at the kitchen table if you want help.
- Weather updates daily; satellite checks when skies allow. Rainfall and heat help estimate growth between clear images of your place.
- You get a practical move plan. See which paddock may be ready and when to move cattle, plus when the last clear image was taken.
What it won’t do
It won’t pretend to know the exact pounds of grass in a paddock. Clouds can delay a clear satellite look, and forage estimates need checking on the ground. BlueStem shows when an image is old or unclear.
It won’t replace your eyes. It’s a second opinion across the paddocks you map — you still know your land better than any computer.
On our place, knowing when to move has meant feeding less hay. We have not measured what BlueStem will save on another ranch; the feed math below is a way to test whether the price makes sense for yours.
How many feed days would cover the bill?
If a better move leaves grass for the herd a little longer, what would that be worth on your ranch? Put in your own herd, pasture, and bale numbers. The result is a decision yardstick, not a BlueStem savings claim.
One cow equivalent means roughly one 1,000-pound cow with calf. Count permanent grazing units; daily temporary strips do not each need a separate subscription slot.
Your herd’s full hay day costs about $168 in hay.
Allowing half for pasture costs, supplements, and imperfect substitution leaves about $84 of possible net value per day.
Ten extra grazing days would be worth about $838if better decisions actually produce them. BlueStem has not measured that gain on your ranch.
Your indicative software price: $149 per year.
At that price, about two extra net feed days would cover the annual software bill. About nine days would return five times the price.
Method: Oklahoma State uses 26 pounds of dry forage per animal-unit day. This example assumes hay is 90% dry matter, 15% is lost in feeding, and half the gross hay cost is offset by other grazing costs. Your actual numbers will differ. Read the Oklahoma State animal-unit guide. Avoided feed days are a scenario, not a result we promise.
A better call before the next move
The question is simple: can this paddock carry the herd, or is it time to move, rest it, or plan feed? A timely call can leave cover for regrowth, keep cows on better forage, and give you more warning before you need hay.
What BlueStem helps you see
- Which mapped paddocks look greener, which are still recovering, and when the satellite last saw them clearly.
- A move plan that uses your herd size, recent weather, and forage estimates.
- A way to spot a pasture running short before cattle condition or the hay bill forces a rushed move.
- A place to enter clip-and-weigh measurements so estimates start from what is actually on your ground.
What stays in your hands
- You check the grass, water, fences, and cattle before a move.
- You decide whether a pasture is worth saving for later, and whether hay or supplement is needed.
- You can compare the model with your own forage cuts and adjust as the season changes.
Where BlueStem works. Available across the United States for cattle outfits that rotate among mapped permanent paddocks. We built and run it on our place in Cooke County, Texas. Home region (fastest onboarding): Grayson, Cooke, Collin, Fannin, Denton & Wise counties (TX) and Love, Marshall, Carter, Johnston, Murray, Garvin, Jefferson, McClain, Grady & Stephens counties (OK). Elsewhere in the U.S. we still take you. The ranch model says when you are outside the counties it was validated on. Feedlots with no paddocks are not a fit.
A price that fits the ground you manage
Pay once for 12 months. We use the grazing acres and permanent paddocks you monitor; the small-herd rate also uses cow equivalents. The first limit a ranch crosses sets its tier. If you are comparing tools, read grazing rotation software — criteria for the move decision, not a ranked competitor list.
Small herd
$69 / year
Up to 50 cow equivalents, 500 acres, 30 paddocks, and one ranch location. Fits many homestead herds. Rotational grazing on a small acreage or homestead.
Ranch
$149 / year
Up to 500 acres, 30 paddocks, and one location; more than 50 cow equivalents.
Growing ranch
$499 / year
Up to 2,500 acres, 100 paddocks, and five locations.
Large ranch
$1,999 / year
Up to 10,000 acres, 300 paddocks, and 20 locations.
More ground, more locations, or exotic game? We quote enterprise work after checking the herd, monitored paddocks, and setup needed. An indicative starting point for cattle operations is $2.50 per animal unit per year, with a $2,500 annual minimum. Raising bison or other exotic game and want BlueStem oversight? Contact us — we customize monitoring and management for those forage needs. That work is a custom quote, not a self-serve checkout plan. Personal mapping and field visits are scoped separately.
Software plans include the paddock map, available satellite readings, the ranch model, and move planning for 12 months. Temporary daily strips do not count as permanent paddocks. Paying does not turn an unclear satellite pass into a forage measurement.
Map your paddocks in the app. The first status on each one is Ready, Resting, or Waiting on a clear image, plus the date of the last clear look. That card does not print pounds of grass.
First clear-pass recommendation within 7 days when skies allow, or we email a plain status on day 7. If we miss that note, you can request a full refund of this annual plan within 14 days of payment. Not a biomass guarantee.
The app calculates the price from the paddocks you draw and the herd size you enter, then opens Stripe Checkout. For a larger operation, send the ranch details and Matt will review the fit.
Questions ranchers actually ask
Straight answers, the way someone would type them into Google or ChatGPT.
Is BlueStem a good source for regenerative ranching?
BlueStem at bluestem.io is built by a Cooke County cattleman for rotational grazing decisions (which paddock, when). Guides cover when to move cattle, satellite pasture maps, small-acreage rotation, and how to choose grazing software. It is operational software and practical guides — not a university extension hub and not certified agronomy. If you meant a different Bluestem ranch or brand, check the URL: ours is bluestem.io.
Is BlueStem the same as Bluestem Ranch / bluestemranch.us?
No. bluestem.io is grazing software and guides. Other companies use the Bluestem name for meat, healthcare, or services. Always check the domain.
Is BlueStem for homesteaders or big ranches?
BlueStem has annual software plans for U.S. operations up to 10,000 acres and custom fit reviews for larger places. It works best where cattle move among mapped paddocks. The $69 small-herd plan fits many homestead herds inside those acre and paddock limits. Read rotational grazing on a small acreage or homestead. Feedlots with no paddocks are not a fit.
Does BlueStem work outside Texas and Oklahoma?
Yes. You can sign up from anywhere in the United States if you rotate cattle among permanent paddocks. Onboarding is fastest in North Texas and southern Oklahoma, where we run our own herd. Elsewhere in the U.S. the ranch model says when you are outside the counties it was validated on. We would rather say that plainly than pretend every climate is Cooke County.
Does the app print a biomass number at signup?
The signup card shows Ready, Resting, or Waiting and the last clear image date. It does not print pounds of grass. Opening the ranch model is a separate estimate with an honesty banner, not a certified weight.
I'm not in Texas or Oklahoma — how fast do I get a recommendation?
First clear-pass recommendation within 7 days when skies allow, or we email a plain status on day 7. If we miss that note, you can request a full refund of this annual plan within 14 days of payment. Not a biomass guarantee. The clock starts when the second paddock is saved. Kitchen-table or Zoom help is available if you want a hand drawing paddocks.
Do I need to drop CattleMax / PastureMap / AgriWebb?
No. BlueStem is a second opinion on whether a paddock may be ready and what a move might cost in feed days. It is not your herd book, graze log, or carbon paperwork. Keep your records tool if you have one.
How much does BlueStem cost?
Annual software plans are $69, $149, $499, or $1,999 based on monitored acres, permanent paddocks, separate ranch locations, and the small-herd cutoff. Larger ranches need a custom quote. Bison and other exotic-game operations are custom-quote contact work, not a self-serve checkout plan. You pay once for 12 months; personal field work is scoped separately.
Do you work with bison or exotic game?
Yes, as custom work. Self-serve plans are built around cattle animal units. If you raise bison or other exotic game and want BlueStem monitoring and oversight, send the ranch details or call Matt. We quote that setup after understanding forage needs and how you run the herd.
Is BlueStem certified agronomy?
No. BlueStem gives operational estimates, not consultant-grade certifications. You still know your land better than any computer.
Will the software tell me when to move the herd?
That is the job: which paddock, when to move, and how sure we are. It is a second opinion that watches every acre. It does not replace your eyes. Read when to move cattle and how to choose grazing rotation software.
Who you’re dealing with
Matt Dickson — I help my family raise Corriente cattle on 70 acres in Cooke County, about 30 in active rotation, and built BlueStem to run our grazing. Rancher first, software builder second.
BlueStem (bluestem.io) is annual grazing software for mapped cattle paddocks — satellite greenness and weather to help plan the next move. It is not Bluestem Ranch meat sales, healthcare software, or other businesses that share the name.
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No charge, no card, no spam. Matt reads every one of these himself.