French dairy farm runs 130 Kiwi-cross cows on 214ha of grass

A 214ha farm in the Orne region of France now devotes every hectare to grass, running around 130 Kiwi-cross cows in a spring-calving system that aligns peak milk production with peak grass growth in late April.

Gérard Grandin, who has farmed independently since 2012, joined a four-member family GAEC (Groupement Agricole d'Exploitation en Commun) in March 2024. The holding carries no other enterprises; grass is the sole feed base for the commercial milk herd.

The herd itself reflects the system's logic. Grandin developed the animals from Holstein genetics crossed with other breeds to produce smaller, more robust cows better suited to grazing. The Kiwi-cross type trades frame and milk volume for mobility, fertility and the ability to hold condition on pasture.

How does the calendar work?

All cows calve between early February and mid-April. Peak lactation therefore lands in late April, when grass growth peaks in Normandy. Grandin said this synchronisation lets the herd derive maximum nutritional benefit from grazed grass during the most demanding stage of lactation.

Reproductive management carries the system. Breeding starts in late April and closes before early July, deliberately avoiding the fertility penalties of summer heat. Forage harvesting follows the breeding period, and the herd dries off completely by early December.

Winter keeps animals outside. The farm runs a bale-grazing system, distributing hay bales directly in the paddocks rather than housing cattle and feeding indoors.

After calving, cows and calves stay together for one week in a dedicated colostrum group. Cows milk once a day during that week, then join the commercial herd and move to twice-daily milking.

What does grass deliver in the tank?

Diet drives product composition. Grandin believes the emphasis on grazed grass produces a more favourable omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio in milk and meat, while the high beta-carotene content of fresh grass gives the milk a naturally richer yellow colour. These traits carry value in pasture-based dairy markets where buyers and consumers read them as markers of nutritional quality.

The technical lesson sits in the integration. Genetics, reproductive performance and grassland management operate as one package: match animal demand to forage supply, and the farm cuts purchased feed while holding animal health. That is the core argument of seasonal calving, and the Orne farm applies it without compromise on the 214ha block.

Why is the farm being studied?

The Grandin family's operation features in INTAQT, a five-year research project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme. INTAQT examines the relationship between livestock production systems and the quality of chicken and cattle products.

Through its "One Quality" concept, the project aims to demonstrate that safe, nutritious and enjoyable animal products can be consistently produced in both extensive and intensive systems while supporting more sustainable livestock production. The Orne farm serves as a working example of the extensive end of that spectrum.

Interest in pasture-based dairy production continues to grow across Europe, and the farm shows what a fully grass-locked, seasonal-calving model looks like on French ground. Farmers weighing a shift toward spring calving should watch the INTAQT project's outputs as it reports on how system type translates into measured product quality.