For the cows, living, and grazing on the pasture, all day and night is better than living in confinement facilities or dry lots. As a veterinarian, Mark would commonly recommend that sick cows be placed out into a grassy meadow to help them recover from their ills. Eating the grass is the best way to reestablish rumen health and to increase intakes when a cow gets a digestive disorder. Cows that graze on pastures are cleaner, and they develop fewer foot and lameness issues than cows that live on concrete. When cows eat grass on pasture, they are also more likely to have good reproductive health, udder health, and cleaner milk. I happen to think that the milk tastes better when the cows are pasture fed.For the environment, grass-fed has a much lighter carbon footprint. Since the cows “harvest” as they eat, less diesel is needed to bring in and process their feed compared to harvested forage and concentrate-based diets. The cows also self-fertilize the soil with their waste, which eliminates the need for energy-intensive synthetic fertilizers. Wholesome Dairy uses perennial grasses and legumes in their pastures, so they do not have to replant every year, which also saves on energy. They use no herbicides or insecticides on our pastures, which is another energy savings.