Cattle herd grazing in pasture.

Pasture is land with vegetation cover used for grazing of livestock as part of a farm, or in ranching or other unenclosed pastoral systems or used by wild animals for grazing or browsing. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses. It is still used extensively, particularly in arid regions where pasture land is unsuitable for any other agricultural production. In more humid regions, pasture grazing is exploited extensively for free range and organic farming.

Pasture growth can consist of grasses, legumes, other forbs, shrubs or a mixture. Soil type, minimum annual temperature, and rainfall are important factors in pasture management.

[edit] Examples of pasture habitats

• Potrero
• Transhumance
• Coastal plain
• Farm
• Field
• Flooded grasslands and savannas
• Flood-meadow
• Grassland
• Heathland
• Machair
• Maquis
• Meadow
• Moorland
• Plain
• Plateau
• Prairie
• Rangeland
• Savanna
• Steppe
• Water-meadow
• Wet meadow
• Wood pasture
• Veld

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