What are the management practices of grassfed animals under the USDA regulations?

December 25, 2025 •

4 min read

According to a 2023 USDA press release, the agency is increasing its scrutiny of animal-raising claims, including 'grassfed,' to ensure integrity and combat misleading labeling. For producers, this means adhering to strict management practices that go far beyond just providing pasture, encompassing diet, environment, and verification protocols mandated by the USDA.

Quick Summary

The USDA defines specific management practices for grassfed animals, including lifelong consumption of grass and forage, continuous access to pasture during the growing season, and prohibitions on grain and grain by-products. Producers must also maintain detailed documentation and manage environmental factors for verification.

Key Points

Dietary Restrictions: USDA-certified grassfed animals must eat only grass and forage from weaning until slaughter, with no grains or grain by-products allowed.
Continuous Pasture Access: During the growing season, ruminants must have continuous and unrestricted access to pasture land, a key requirement for the claim.
Documentation is Mandatory: Producers must maintain extensive records of feed sources, supplements, and overall management practices for USDA verification and audits.
Ethical Animal Welfare: The management practices promote animal welfare by allowing for natural grazing behaviors and providing less crowded living conditions than conventional methods.
No Routine Antibiotics: USDA grassfed animals are not routinely given antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones, distinguishing their management from conventional feedlot systems.
Environmental Benefits: The practices, including rotational grazing, can enhance soil health, increase carbon sequestration, and improve local ecosystems.
Verification Process: The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service conducts audits to ensure producers are adhering to the specific standards required to use the 'grassfed' label.

Understanding the USDA Grassfed Standard

To use a USDA-verified 'grassfed' marketing claim, producers must comply with a set of rigorous management practices centered on the animal's diet and environment. Unlike broader 'natural' or 'pasture-raised' labels, the grassfed standard is specifically defined for ruminant animals and focuses entirely on their feed source throughout their life. This system is designed to provide greater transparency for consumers and to ensure producers are meeting a verifiable, consistent standard. While the USDA doesn't grade grassfed beef specifically for quality (like Prime or Choice), it provides the foundational guidelines for the feed program.

Core Dietary Requirements

The most fundamental component of the USDA grassfed standard is the animal's diet. The regulation stipulates that grass and forage must be the sole feed source for a ruminant animal's entire life, with the only exception being milk consumed before weaning.

Allowed Forage: The acceptable diet includes a wide range of forage, such as grass (both annual and perennial), forbs (like legumes), browse, and cereal grain crops in their vegetative (pre-grain) state.
Permissible Supplements: The standard does allow for certain supplements, but with strict limitations. Acceptable roughage sources include hay, haylage, baleage, silage, and crop residue without grain. Producers must document the type, frequency, and amount of any supplements provided, ensuring no added protein is included. Minerals and vitamins, without added protein, are permitted.
Prohibited Feed: Grains and grain by-products are strictly prohibited at any point in the animal's life. This rule distinguishes USDA-verified grassfed animals from those that may be 'grass-finished' but spent time in a feedlot eating grain.

Pasture Access and Living Conditions

In addition to dietary rules, the USDA standard imposes specific requirements for the living conditions of grassfed animals. These conditions are intended to allow for natural grazing behavior and promote animal welfare.

Continuous Pasture Access: Animals must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season. This is a key differentiator from conventional systems where animals are often confined to feedlots.
Environmental Considerations: Pastures must have vegetative cover and not be feedlots. This supports soil health, reduces erosion, and minimizes the environmental impact associated with concentrated animal waste.
Humane Treatment: While general USDA rules on humane animal handling apply, the grassfed standard emphasizes management practices that reduce animal stress through less crowded conditions and opportunities for natural movement.

Verification and Documentation

The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) oversees the verification process for grassfed claims, often through auditing. This process ensures that producers are consistently meeting the required standards.

Auditing and Inspection: Farms and ranches undergo inspections to verify compliance with the standard. For smaller producers, the Small and Very Small Producer Program offers a pathway for certification.
Detailed Records: Producers must keep detailed records of their animal management, including feed sources and supplementation. This documentation is critical for proving compliance during audits.
Supply Chain Integrity: For producers who purchase animals from external sources, those animals must come from other verified producers listed on the official program listing. This prevents unverified animals from entering the grassfed supply chain.

Comparison: USDA Grassfed vs. Conventional Management


Feature	USDA Grassfed Management	Conventional Livestock Management
Diet	100% grass and forage from weaning to slaughter. No grains or grain by-products.	Primarily grains (e.g., corn, soy) in feedlots to promote rapid weight gain.
Living Conditions	Continuous access to pasture during growing season; uncrowded conditions.	Confined in feedlots; limited movement and outdoor access.
Growth Rate	Slower, more natural growth rate (typically 20-24 months for cattle).	Faster growth rate due to high-energy feed (typically 15 months for cattle).
Animal Welfare	Emphasis on natural behaviors and reduced stress.	Animal movement is limited, which can increase stress.
Environmental Impact	Supports soil health, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity through grazing practices.	Higher greenhouse gas emissions and concentrated waste runoff.
Antibiotics/Hormones	No routine antibiotics or added growth hormones.	Growth hormones are common; antibiotics are used for disease prevention in crowded feedlots.

Conclusion

The USDA grassfed regulations impose a stringent set of management practices designed to ensure that animals are raised entirely on a grass and forage-based diet with continuous access to pasture. For consumers, this verification provides assurance about the animal's diet and living conditions, although some third-party certifications offer even higher standards. For producers, compliance requires meticulous record-keeping, sustainable pasture management, and a commitment to animal welfare. While the process is more resource-intensive than conventional methods, it aligns with a growing consumer demand for ethically and sustainably produced food products. The USDA continues to evolve its guidance, encouraging third-party verification to further strengthen the integrity of these valuable marketing claims. For more information on grassfed management, producers can consult the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's detailed program documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

USDA 'grassfed' pertains exclusively to the animal's diet of 100% forage, while 'organic' certification covers a broader range of standards, including feed production methods, living conditions, and prohibits genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and certain pesticides.

No, grains and grain by-products are strictly prohibited for any ruminant animal seeking USDA grassfed verification after weaning.

In cases of adverse weather or other environmental conditions, producers can supplement the animals' diet with approved forages like hay, silage, or haylage, but grains are never permitted.

No, the program is a voluntary marketing claim. However, to use the USDA-verified 'grassfed' label, a producer must comply with the program's requirements and pass the necessary audits.

Many grassfed producers use rotational grazing, which involves moving animals between different sections of pasture. This practice prevents overgrazing, promotes grass regrowth, and enhances soil fertility.

Producers must maintain detailed records that document the entire feed history of the animals, including any supplementation, to be presented during the audit process.

Beef can be labeled 'grassfed' if it is verified, but consumers should be aware that some products with this label in the US may be imported from other countries that might not meet the same standards or undergo the same auditing process, leading to confusion.