In this article, we discuss novel grazing strategies with the potential to improve cow and land productivity, with a focus on grazing intensity and cow behavior.

Cover crops and manure are both tools. When they are aligned, they improve nutrient efficiency, protect water and can even add forage value. When they are not aligned, they create management friction, yield drag and frustration. 

Dairy heifer grazing increases the amount of well-managed grassland in an area – improving dairy’s climate performance and supporting the regeneration of soil, water and biodiversity resources.

Instead of the dairy farmer focusing on growing, harvesting and feeding rations, the focus changes to growing and managing pastures and controlling the cows’ utilization of those pastures with the goal to optimize cow nutrition, pasture quality, pasture yield and overall soil health.

Milk production per cow will be somewhat decreased on pasture when compared to feeding in confinement. Per cow costs of milk production also decrease when dairy farms turn to managed rotational grazing and maximize cow numbers per acre.

Following drought, stand damage is readily apparent – even on well-managed pastures. When drought occurs during active growth of warm-season grass pastures, it is almost certain that root growth will be restricted, in addition to the more obvious decline in forage yield.

Grazing cows isn’t only for dry cows, heifers or beef cattle anymore. An increasing number of dairy producers are pasture grazing the milking herd.

Extending the grazing season is a good goal for all graziers to have, and creating a forage chain is one way to make that happen, says Kent Solberg, senior technical adviser of the Sustainable Farming Association.

Adding grain to the dairy cow diet supplies energy and generally increases milk production above what the cow would produce on a forage-based diet alone. But production isn’t everything.