next generation natural pastures

Applying practices that support animal welfare has been an essential part of our farm development. Allowing animals more freedom and room for natural behaviour contributes to healthy animals, as well as easier and more motivating work. Seeing your animals thriving and enjoying themselves is a rewarding feedback for your management. We let our cows outside only when the environmental conditions allow it. No mud and soft ground. No slippery ice to avoid injuries. If the conditions are otherwise good, we let them out in every weather and temperature. The only unpleasant weather combination for them is rain and wind. Typically, we start letting the cows back outside when the ground is frozen (or dry enough) and there’s probably a layer of snow already. During the first days, cows tend to eat through the snow the remaining grass. From then on, we feed the cows outside, spreading them their daily portion of hay or silage, which they clean up pretty well. We aim to minimize waste but allow small amounts of litter left on the ground, which serves as organic matter and food for the microbes later on. ​ Every farm has a different environment and resources. Things that work on another farm rarely fit straight to yours. If an idea doesn’t immediately work on your farm it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad idea – usually the implementation just needs to be adapted to your context. It all comes down to management. All in all, outside freedom and movement is good for animal health and welfare, if we manage the conditions accordingly. For me, it’s a satisfying, magical feeling to walk with my cows in the evening under starry skies, snow crunching under hooves towards the barn waiting for them, all nice and clean, with hay filled tables ready. And that’s it for the evening chores!

We stopped using bale rings, as they cause compaction and slippery ground around the ring. Every cow needs to have their own feeding place and preferably you’ll need a few extra. That would mean several bale rings. When feeding space is limited, the strongest cows in the herd eat the best bits and spend the longest time eating. The ones at the bottom of the herd hierarchy won’t get fed properly, which will affect their production and body condition. Instead of bale rings, we spread hay or silage in long lines on the ground with a straw shredder or simply in separate piles with the tractor and front loader. This way all the cows have feeding space and they are also eating in a natural, ergonomic posture, like when they are grazing. The feeding line is moved daily onto a clean ground. Cow pats are distributed evenly around the winter pasture while the cows eat in lines. Talking of cowpats; when they are dropped straight outside, it also means less manure hauling from the barn and less use of tractor hours and fuel costs. We haven’t yet experimented with bale grazing – placing hay/silage bales on the field and separating them with fence strands same as in summertime strip grazing – but that would be interesting to try when we have a year of extra supply in harvest. So far spreading feed in lines on the ground has worked well for us.

For many farmers the ideal solution is to have a free access outside day and night. Because of the farmyard design, we are unable to organize free access from the barns to the winter pasture. We also have animals in different feeding groups according to their production needs and body condition score; older pregnant cows, young pregnant cows and heifers, replacement heifers (yearlings) and young yearling bulls if we decide to keep them plus occasionally an older breeding bull. Three to five groups, depending on the winter. Our animals are walked outside in the morning and back in the barn for the night. It sounds like extra work, but it doesn’t feel like it. It also has extra benefits: When animals walk past you, you are checking each and every one of them daily. A practical way to notice any early symptoms of sickness or injuries. Something you don’t pay attention so easily when animals are standing or laying down in the barn. Signs of sickness or injuries can be hidden if you don’t have a good cattle eye and sense to notice differences in individual animal behaviour. When animals must walk past your eyes daily, any symptoms are revealed more easily (notice animals lagging behind the group or being generally slow). An easy way to keep an eye on hoof structure. Hooves are an integral part of cow health and longevity. Cows with good hooves are efficient graziers, resulting in good milk production and calf growth. They stay longer in production and don’t cause extra costs due hoof injuries or hoof care. As a heritable trait, bad hooves should be noted and culled away from the herd. Calm, regular handling improves trust between you and your animals and creates a herd which is easy to handle. Connecting humans to positive things such as an access to winter pasture or green pasture in the summer builds positive relation in animals. When the animals are outside for the day, the barn is empty, and we can fill the feed tables and bed the pens with straw ready for the night. Cleaning feeding alleys is also swift work when we don’t have to close the animals behind pen gates. When animals are not tramping in and out , back and forth from the barn, we are saving straw. When the calving season starts, we spread straw for bedding for the calves outside but until then the cows spend the day on pure snow. Other befits of keeping cows outside: Cows also need vitamin D. Allowing them to spend their days outside they get vitamin D from the sun. On sunny days you can see how cows turn they sides to the sun to enjoy the full amount of warmth and vitamin D. Airing their fur coats in fresh air seems to help with parasites such as lice. At least we’ve noticed a reduction on rubbing and hair loss, when cows are spending more time outside. Lice problems are effected by other things as well, so fresh air alone doesn’t solve it, but helps. Walking in snow is promotes good hoof health. Walking and moving more is good for pregnant cows and minimizes calving difficulties when cows are in good shape. Young animals are energetic and get easily frustrated. Freedom to move outside on a larger area stimulates them and makes them more relaxed. Living months in the barn, no matter how roomy the pen areas are, is rather dull. Outside life has positive effects both on mental and physical development. Motion is essential also for breeding bulls. Making them walk and move before the breeding season, ensures partly their good working ability. Keeping your breeding bull in top working condition is one of the most important things for short calving season and your economical outcome.

Choosing winter pasture areas Naturally we prefer them to be close at hand. We also try to rotate the areas between years. Trees provide shelter from windchill. In Canada they use wooden plank walls in areas where there’s no trees for miles. Bear in mind that cows tend to choose lounging areas where manure builds up. It also creates paction on those spots. The following summer we rest the winter pasture for a longer time (grazing it later in the summer or making a late silage cut). Be aware that parasite problems might loom in the area if you graze it early in the spring/start of summer. Other option is to renew the winter pasture (rotary tilling plus new seeding). It all depends on many factors, yearly conditions and what we want to achieve. Water As we keep the cows outside during daylight hours (= short time in wintertime), we haven’t organised water available for them. Cows learn to lick snow if they are thirsty. Water intake is also lower when they are not yet lactating. Some of the cows choose to drink first thing returning to the barn in the afternoon/evening, but not all of them straight away. In March-April, when we have lactating cows outside, and the water doesn’t freeze fast, we fill up troughs from a tank. Fences Our winter fences are light and easy. Only some of the areas have permanent fences, otherwise it’s just a one electric strand. Cows don’t wander around much in the wintertime, they prefer to lounge close to the feed. Therefore, the fences for the cows can be very simple (sometimes we find our fence strand to be covered under a heavy snow layer, yet the cows stay obediently in their designated area). The trickier demands come from newborn calves, heavy snowlayers (height of the strand) or keeping bulls and heifers in heat in adjacent areas. Then you want to make sure your fences are snappy or strong.