SustAinimal Grazing Living Lab–a survey of grazing management on dairy farms in northern Sweden

Abstract

A survey was conducted on 302 Sweden dairy farms (response rate 98%) to identify grazing and grassland management strategies and main challenges to grazing in northern Sweden. The most common grazing strategy on all dairy farms was continuous grazing (59%) followed by rotational grazing (45%), while organic dairy farms preferentially adopted rotational grazing (69%). The main challenges reported in grazing dairy cows on temporary grasslands on conventional farms were trampling damage and seasonal variations in grass growth, while for organic dairy farmers, the primary challenge was weed control. Only a few farms had grazing on semi-natural grasslands. Future sustainable grazing should focus on optimising grazing strategy in relation to on-farm grazing locations and nutrient supply for high-yielding dairy cows.