Extensive pastures are among the most species-rich areas in Central Europe and therefore fulfill an important ecological function.

In extensive standalone grazing, the pasture areas are occupied by vegetation continuously or over long periods. The pasture area is divided into no paddocks up to a maximum of 3 paddocks. In general, the effort involved in pasture management is low.

A particular challenge is the optimal adaptation of the animal population to the area. The animal population in extensive pastures is usually around 1 LVE/ha.

• Too low an animal population can have a negative impact on population development. The area is not grazed evenly and feed losses also increase.
• If they are constantly underused, they lose their species diversity and unwanted species can become prevalent.

In extensive areas, undesirable plants can spread and poisonous plants may also appear (marsh horsetail, autumn crocus, bracken, white germ, cypress spurge, small rattlesnake, meadowfoam, ragwort, etc.). This must be taken into account in pasture management and care. The animals should have enough food and the aim should be to maintain the pasture once per year.

Because of the low yield, extensive pastures provide ideal feed for dry cows, young cattle, calves and extensively kept suckler cows.