🌄 Pasture
Also known as: grazing land
Land where livestock graze grass themselves; meadows and pastures cover 3.2 billion ha, about two thirds of the world's farmland.
A pasture is land where livestock graze grass themselves, mostly grasses with legumes such as clover. According to FAO, in 2021 permanent meadows and pastures covered 3.2 billion ha, about two thirds of the world's 4.8 billion ha of farmland. For dairy cows it is fresh feed, and the herd is moved between plots so the grass regrows.
FAO counts as permanent meadows and pastures land that has been occupied by herbaceous forage plants, cultivated or wild, for at least five years. A pasture is grazed and a hay meadow is cut for hay, but FAO statistics treat them as one category. Since 2000 their area has shrunk by 5%.
A plot needs time to rest. According to Scotland's Farm Advisory Service, a pasture rests 15–21 days in spring, 25–30 in summer, 30–40 in autumn and 90–100 days in winter; cows go in when the grass reaches the third-leaf stage and stay in one paddock no longer than four days. This is advice for Scotland's temperate climate, not a universal rule. Under US organic rules, pasture has to supply at least 30% of the dry matter in the diet during the grazing season.
Why it matters to you. A pasture label on milk does not guarantee that cows eat only grass: in the US, the organic system requires just 30% of feed from grazing. Check what exactly the producer promises. In a 2013 study, US organic milk contained 62% more omega-3 fatty acids than conventional milk, but the study compared systems, not grass itself.
Facts
| Main use | Grazing livestock; fresh feed for dairy cows 1 |
|---|---|
| Duration | In spring a plot rests 15–21 days (Scotland) 2 |
| Region | World: 3.2 billion ha of permanent meadows and pastures in 2021 1 |
How it connects to milk
Links
- What happens here
- 🔄 Grazing, 🌿 Grass, 🌾 Hay, 🐄 Cow
- Where it happens
- 🏡 Dairy farm
- Who works here
- 🧑🌾 Herder
- Part of
- 🏡 On the farm: feed, grazing and milking
Frequently asked questions
How does a pasture differ from a hay meadow?
A pasture is grazed, and a hay meadow is cut for hay. In FAO statistics both belong to the category of permanent meadows and pastures.
What share of land do pastures cover?
In 2021, permanent meadows and pastures covered 3.2 billion ha of 4.8 billion ha of agricultural land, that is about two thirds (calculated from FAO data).
Is it true that there are few pastures in the world?
No. They are the largest part of the world's agricultural land, although their area has shrunk by 5% since 2000.
Is it true that cows on pasture eat only grass?
Not always. Under US organic rules, at least 30% of the dry matter in the diet has to come from pasture during the grazing season; the rest is other feed.
How often are cows moved to a new plot?
In Scotland the advice is to keep them in one paddock no longer than four days, and to let the plot rest 15–21 days in spring.
What to read next
- 🧑🌾 Herder — A worker who grazes a herd; by FAO's estimate, about 200 million pastoralists worldwide make their living from grazing livestock.
- 🏡 Dairy farm — A farm that keeps a dairy herd: the animals are milked, the milk is cooled straight away and sent to the dairy plant; worldwide, about 150 million households produce milk.
- 🐄 Cow — The world's main source of milk: ≈81 % of global milk output (FAO). High-yielding cows give up to 60 kg of milk a day.
- 🌾 Hay — Hay is grass or legume forage cut and dried as livestock feed; dairy farms often make it from alfalfa, and it is baled at 20% moisture or less.
Similar
Sources
- FAO. FAOSTAT Analytical Brief 71: Land statistics and indicators 2000–2021
- Farm Advisory Service (Scotland). Getting started with rotational grazing for the dairy herd
- eCFR. 7 CFR Part 205: National Organic Program, § 205.240 Pasture practice standard
- Benbrook C. M. et al. Organic production enhances milk nutritional quality. PLoS ONE, 2013