🔄 Grazing

Grazing is a way of feeding in which cows, sheep or goats eat grass on pasture themselves. It is the cheapest feed: according to Ireland's Teagasc, a kilogram of grazed grass costs 7 cents, silage 15 and concentrate 30. That is why in countries with a mild climate, such as Ireland, the whole dairy sector relies on grazing.

Animals can graze one plot continuously or in paddocks. In rotational grazing the pasture is divided into paddocks and the herd is moved on so the grass can rest: for example, 8 paddocks, a move every 3 days and 21 days of rest. Cows are not kept on one paddock longer than 4 days, or they start eating the young regrowth. A rotation takes 15–21 days in spring, 25–30 in summer and 30–40 in autumn.

Irish cows usually graze from mid-February to the end of November, and grass makes up about 82% of the dry matter in their diet. Teagasc has calculated that each extra tonne of grass dry matter per hectare brings a dairy farm €173 in profit. An old form of grazing is transhumance, the seasonal droving of livestock between valleys and mountains, which UNESCO listed as heritage of ten countries in 2023.

Grass-fed or organic? They are not the same thing. “Grass-fed” is a private or national standard: Ireland’s Bord Bia, for example, requires at least 90% grass in the diet. Organic milk, by contrast, is not necessarily from grazing cows. Grass on the pasture is also only one of three feeds on a dairy farm, next to silage and concentrate, and it is the cheapest. What grazing changes is the fatty-acid profile: more omega-3, CLA and beta-carotene, which is why the butter is yellower. That is a difference in composition, not a cure.

Look for the words “grass-fed” or “from pasture” and then for the standard behind them, because the phrase is a private or national claim, not a protected name. An “organic” label does not promise grazing, and a deeper yellow in the butter is a hint rather than proof. You will see such claims on butter, cheese and milk at supermarkets, farm shops and delicatessens. If the pack names no standard, treat the wording as marketing and ask the producer.

Why it matters to you. Milk from grazing cows contains more omega-3 fats, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and beta-carotene, which is why butter made from it is yellower. But that means a better fatty-acid profile, not medicine. The “grass-fed” label is a private or national standard: Ireland's Bord Bia requires at least 90% grass in the diet, and organic milk is not necessarily from grazing cows.