Access to pasture for dairy cows provides significant welfare benefits including improved hoof health, reduced lameness, and the ability to express natural grazing behaviors.
Pasture access addresses fundamental welfare needs of dairy cows in ways that indoor enrichment cannot fully replicate. Walking on natural grass surfaces improves hoof health and reduces the lameness epidemic that plagues indoor dairy systems. The ability to graze — a behavioral repertoire involving exploration, selection, and consumption of varied plant material — satisfies motivational needs that total mixed rations in a feed bunk cannot. Social interactions in outdoor environments are richer and less constrained than those in crowded indoor systems. Pasture-based dairying is not only welfare-beneficial but represents a more intuitive alignment between the biological needs of cows and their living conditions.