Grazing management for organic, grass-fed or conventional dairies Effective management of pastures leads to greater success14 May 2025 14 May 2025 6 minute read 6 minute read By: By: Penn State University North AmericaMany dairies in the Midwest utilize grazing as a management tool for dairy cow nutrition. Organic and grass-fed dairies intensely manage pastures as a component of milking cow diets, and many conventional dairies will allow dry cows and heifers to graze. Pasture management planA detailed pasture management plan allows producers to stretch forage inventories with similar labor input to many stored forages. The first step in designing a pasture management plan is understanding the land available for grazing and the areas that should not be grazed. Organic dairies cannot use herbicides and must control weeds through mowing, hand removal, or other pasture management techniques such as inter-seeding, improving soil quality, and proper fertilization.