Organic dairy grazing records
Connect the pasture record to the herd, ration, and season
A useful grazing record shows more than where cows went. It creates a consistent trail between the pasture available, the animals grazing, the dates and conditions, and the dry-matter documentation used by the operation.
What to record for each grazing event
- Date and pasture or paddock ID
- Herd group and approximate number of animals
- Turn-in and removal time, when used by the operation
- Forage condition or available forage estimate
- Weather or field conditions that affected access
- Supplemental feed offered to the same group
- Initials or name of the person completing the record
Keep the field identity consistent
Use the same field or paddock names on maps, grazing logs, crop activity records, input records, harvest records, and the Organic System Plan. Small naming differences can make otherwise complete records difficult to trace.
Connect grazing and dry matter
Grazing logs provide the daily activity trail, while the operation's dry-matter intake records document the calculation method, ration assumptions, animal groups, and source values. Keep versions of spreadsheets or worksheets used during the season and note when a ration or assumption changes.
Read the companion guide to dairy dry-matter intake records.
Document exceptions as they happen
Flooding, drought, heat, poor field conditions, animal health, or another legitimate event may change the planned grazing schedule. Record the date, the condition, the affected animals or pasture, the decision made, and any supporting evidence required by the operation's certifier.