Pasture

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Cattle herd grazing in pasture.

Pasture is land with lush herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulate livestock as part of a farm or ranch. Prior to the advent of mechanized farming, pasture was the primary source of food for cattle and sheep. It is still used extensively, particularly for free range and organic farming, as pasture gives much better living conditions for the animals. Advances in managed intensive grazing (MIG), and improvements in fence technology, led to renewed interest in grazing in the 1990s.

Pasture growth can consist of grasses, legumes, or a mixture. Alfalfa, clover, and birdsfoot trefoil are legumes used in intensive pasture management. Many grasses, including ryegrass (Lolium), meadow-grass (Poa), foxtails (Alopecurus), and bents (Agrostis) are used, depending upon conditions, of which soil type, minimum annual temperature, and rainfall amount are most important.