Most pastures contain a wide variety of plants, and sometimes there are a few species that can be toxic to livestock. Start by educating yourself about what plants are in your pastures—both the beneficial forages as well as the weedy species. UW Extension has publications on the common Wisconsin pasture grasses, legumes and weeds available at the on-line UW Extension Learning Store or through your local county Extension office. Your local UW Extension agent may also be able to assist you with
Last fall a group of Michigan State University students interviewed several Michigan dairy producers about their transition from confinement to pasture-based systems and have created a video series titled “Pasture-Based Dairies: Why and How to Switch”. The 3-part video series can now be found on the MSU Kellogg Biological Station YouTube channel as well as a video on the robotic milking system for their pasture-based research dairy herd.
