Usefulness of Linking Rainfall with:

- Air Temperature:
Crucial for calculating Potential Evapotranspiration (PET). The rain + temperature relationship determines the actual rate of water consumption by the crop or pasture and is fundamental for the water balance.

- Relative Humidity and Dew Point:
High post-rain humidity, combined with temperature, is the triggering factor of many fungal diseases (e.g., rust, blight). Allows generation of phytosanitary alerts.

- Wind Speed and Direction:
Affects soil moisture loss. It is also vital for planning and recording the effectiveness of agrochemical applications (drift).

- Solar Radiation (or Cloudy Days):
Influences the rate of photosynthesis and biomass growth. Prolonged lack of sun after abundant rains can cause stress in some crops.

Usefulness of Linking Rainfall with:

- Soil Moisture:
It is the direct verification. Allows contrasting the rain that fell with the actual water available to the plant (rain does not always infiltrate fully; there can be runoff or saturation).

- Crop Phenology:
Essential for risk management. Rainfall in critical stages (e.g., flowering or grain filling) has a much greater impact on yield than in vegetative stages.

- Irrigation Records:
Allows calculation of the Net Water Contribution to the system (Rain + Irrigation). It is the basis for precise irrigation scheduling, avoiding excessive use of water and energy.

- Leaching Analysis:
Intense precipitation is the main cause of nutrient loss (especially nitrogen) by leaching. Helps justify and schedule refertilization after high-precipitation events.

Usefulness of Linking Rainfall with:

- Pasture Growth Record:
Directly relates the amount and distribution of rainfall to biomass production (kg/ha/day). Allows adjusting stocking rate and rotational grazing management.

- Use of Phytosanitary Inputs:
Allows correlating fungicide applications with the occurrence of rains and periods of high humidity. Serves to evaluate the need (prevention) and effectiveness of treatments.

- Incidence of Pests/Diseases:
Many pests and diseases (e.g., mosquito larvae, internal parasites) have life cycles linked to water availability or post-rain waterlogging. It is key for health alerts.

- Final Paddock Yield:
The main productive indicator. Allows conducting a Yield Component Analysis to determine how much of the final yield was explained by the water factor.

Interpretation of the combined chart

The chart shows in an integrated way the monthly accumulated rainfall (blue bars) and the animal load (green line). The joint reading allows visualizing how water availability conditions the capacity to sustain animals in regenerative systems.

• Dry months (e.g. January-July):
  low rainfall is reflected in lower animal load, forcing reduced grazing pressure and activation of forage reserves.


• Months with abundant rainfall (e.g. April-October):
  greater water availability drives pasture growth, allowing increased animal load and planning cuts for reserves.


• Regular rainfall distribution:
  when rainfall remains stable, the system can sustain more dynamic rotations and improve animal productivity.


• Extreme events:
  very intense rains in a short time can generate erosion and runoff risks, requiring soil and access management adjustments.

In summary, rainfall records not only provide a climate datum: they become a strategic indicator to decide animal load, rotations, reserves and soil regeneration practices. The integration of data and visualizations facilitates adaptive and resilient decision-making.

2. Design of rotations and pasture rests

• Define longer rest times in dry years.
• Accelerate rotations when rains generate pasture abundance.

3. Monitoring infiltration and soil health

• Relate rainfall amount to pasture recovery speed.
• Detect degraded soils that do not respond well to rainfall, guiding regeneration practices.

4. Prevention of erosion and runoff

• Identify intense rainfall events and assess whether the soil retains water or loses it through runoff.
• Adjust practices such as grazing strips, cover crop sowing or contour lines.

5. Forage reserve management

• Decide when to cut and store forage (hay, silage) based on accumulated rainfall.
• Anticipate water deficit periods to use reserves strategically.

6. Animal welfare

• Foresee muddy or excess moisture conditions that affect health (hooves, parasites).
• Plan access to shade and water on hot days after heavy rains.

7. System resilience indicators

• Compare rainfall records with animal and plant productivity.
• Measure whether regenerative practices improve the field’s ability to use every millimeter of rainfall.

8. Community decision-making

• Share records among neighboring producers to coordinate loads, sales or purchases of animals.
• Generate more precise local data than general forecasts.

Integration with agroecological practices and technology

Rainfall records are enhanced when integrated with digital tools

• field apps
• sensors
• automatic rain gauges
• and agroecological practices such as pasture diversification, holistic management and permanent soil cover

This allows transforming each rainfall datum into a strategic decision for regenerating the livestock system.