pasturebased

Pasturebased, or pasture-based, refers to farming systems in which livestock derive a substantial portion of their diet from forage grown on pasture rather than solely from stored feeds. The term is used across livestock sectors, including beef cattle, dairy cows, sheep, and goats, and to a lesser extent poultry and other grazing animals. In pasture-based operations, animals graze on fields seasonally or year-round, often supplemented with conserved forage, grains, or minerals as needed. Management emphasizes pasture quality, soil health, and rotational grazing to distribute grazing pressure and allow forage regrowth.

Common practices include rotational grazing, where animals are moved among fenced paddocks to optimize forage use, and diversification of pasture with grasses, legumes, and forbs to improve nutrition and soil fertility. Silvopasture and cover crops are sometimes integrated. Water, shelter, and fencing are critical infrastructure, and stocking density is adjusted to climate, pasture production, and animal needs.

Benefits cited include potential improvements in animal welfare, product quality, and lower reliance on concentrated feeds, with possible environmental advantages such as soil carbon sequestration and biodiversity gains. However, outputs can be highly dependent on climate, pasture availability, and management, and productivity may be lower than intensive systems unless well managed.

Definitions vary, and marketing terms such as grass-fed can overlap with pasture-based practices, leading to different standards among regions.

Pasturebased systems are part of broader discussions on sustainable and regenerative agriculture, and are often evaluated alongside efficiency, animal welfare, and environmental impacts.