Feed planning on pasture is an important management strategy for improving profitability for pasture-based dairy farms.   Yet, little on-farm information is available in New England concerning pasture productivity and forage quality that can be used for planning purposes.  The objectives of this project were 1) to collect quantitative information on pasture production and quality for a variety of soil types and specie mixtures in Vermont, 2) to assess a method of on-farm record-based assessments as a way to estimated pasture yield and availability as compared to more intensive hand sampling, and 3) to evaluate the impact of legume content on forage availability and quality.   Four grazing paddocks from two farms were monitored throughout the season in order to assess pasture growth rates, pre and post pasture mass, net mass, percent utilization, botanical composition, and pasture quality.  Pasture growth rates ranged from 42 to 105 kg ha^-1 d^-1 while utilization ranged from 390 to 500 g kg^-1.  Using on-farm records to estimate net pasture yield showed a very similar result to intensive hand sampling utilizing an acrylic pasture plate method (taking the mean of 25 measurements per paddock) with net pasture dry matter intake ranging from 7.5 and 12.7 kg cow^-1 d^-1.  Legume content was only associated with higher pasture quality when it exceeding 300 g kg^-1of the botanical mixture; however, the relationship varied greatly and was also influenced by time of year.