Low-overhead dairy grazing: A specific solution to a vexing problem

The dairy sector has been the backbone of many rural communities across the traditional US Dairy Belt (i.e., the states from Maine to Minnesota) since the early twentieth century. The dramatic loss of dairy farms throughout the region over the past 30 years has contributed to an unraveling of the fabric of its rural communities (Spratt et al. 2021). An important driver of this trend has been extreme volatility and a downward trend in real (i.e., inflation-adjusted) farmgate milk prices. In response, many remaining dairy farms have greatly increased herd size and milk production per cow; “get big or get out” has been the clear writing on the proverbial wall. Farmers who have followed this path have generally demonstrated an impressive application of science, technology, and management to consistently produce an average of over 25,000 lb of milk per cow per year in herds with hundreds or thousands of cows. Unfortunately, there are a host of vexing issues associated with the increasing trend toward large modern confinement-feeding dairy farms. These farms are very capital-intensive and the resulting level of assets (and debt) per cow necessitates maximum milk production per cow (Winsten et al. 2000, 2010). Very high grain-to-forage feeding ratios can increase the incidence of metabolic disorders, resulting in increased use of antibiotics and increased culling rates. The very high capital requirements preclude most farm workers from becoming farm owners. The use of heavy equipment and manure-handling systems is associated with higher rates of worker injuries and fatalities (Douphrate et al. 2013). From an environmental perspective, large modern dairy farms often import much more nutrients (e.g., grain and fertilizer) onto the farm than the farm’s land base can assimilate (Kellogg 2000). The more extreme the nutrient imbalance, …