Outdoor grazing and honest cheese are inseparable for CONO. A cow is a grazing animal and, as far as CONO is concerned, it grazes in pastures as much as possible where it can eat lots of fresh, protein-rich grass. In 2022, CONO cows grazed in pastures for an average of 191 days of more than 10 hours. This is an increase of 11 days compared to 2021.

Outside when the weather permits
CONO cows are outside as soon as weather and nature allow. The spring of 2022 was characterized as very suitable for good grazing. The summer brought challenges due to hot and dry summer weeks that reduced grass growth. Then the mild fall again brought plenty of pasture grass.

A lot of attention for the cow in the barn as well
Animal welfare at CONO is not only about natural behavior, but also about paying a lot of attention to housing aspects such as claw care, lying comfort and stall occupancy. These are logical aspects for CONO now that the grazing season is over and the cows are back in the barn. In all barns on CONO farms, cow brushes are available and barn occupancy is a maximum of one hundred percent. So every cow has a lying place. Moreover, that lying area is soft, due, for example, to a thick layer of straw or a waterbed.

Outdoor grazing and climate
At CONO, we see grazing as part of the solution. More outdoor grazing leads to a reduction in ammonia emissions. In the pasture, cows do not defecate where they urinate, which prevents the release of ammonia. Land-bound farms with a lot of grassland and outdoor grazing mainly obtain protein from their own land. In this way, less concentrated feed is needed from far away. Outdoor grazing is part of circular agriculture and the basis for sustainable dairy farming. The combination of extensive grazing, the season and the quality of the grass has a positive effect on the emission of methane from the rumen. Lots of outdoor grazing can also have a positive effect on biodiversity. In this way, outdoor grazing also contributes to our ambition: a climate-positive cheese chain in 2030.