The project objectives are:

• To develop innovative, regionally adapted grazing systems that are robust to variable weather conditions, increase production of forages as protein sources in dairy cow feeding, and allow for co-grazing of animals of different age groups.
• To develop and test methods to strengthen the dam-calf bond to ensure maternal care of the calf at pasture, to facilitate the de-bonding process at weaning while minimizing negative consequences for the cow and the calf (both heifer and bull calves), and to ensure long-term cow and calf health and welfare in organic dairy farming systems, documented through multi-faceted animal-based indicators.
• To assess, document and analyse consequences of rearing different age groups together in different grazing-based dairy systems, on animal health and welfare, as well as on the use of antibiotics and anthelminthics,
• To explore and analyze farmers’ perceptions, visions, barriers, as well as the social and daily practices related to dam-calf rearing and innovative grazing strategies, some of which include mother-infant contact and/or mixed grazing of young stock and other age groups, throughout the project phases and the transformation into novel systems. To assess the environmental and economic sustainability of rearing calves with their dam, using collected economic and husbandry data.