Mini-review: System-level considerations associated with cow-calf contact in seasonal-calving pasture-based dairy systems

Abstract

Early separation of cows and calves, a common practice across the global dairy industry, has been regarded as a risk to social license, contributing to growing interest in alternative approaches. Cow-calf contact (CCC) systems, which allow calves to suckle and have contact with the dam after birth, are one such alternative. Since 2020 there has been a significant increase in research undertaken on CCC systems; however, pasture-based dairies remain under-represented in the literature, with only 24% of studies between 1970 to 2025 on calf and cow performance and welfare outcomes undertaken in pasture systems (n = 24/101). While dairy industries worldwide have adapted to their unique and often localized constraints, in housed systems, many aspects of the environment can be carefully controlled, allowing management to focus more directly on the animal. In pasture-based systems cows are managed outdoors, reliant on grazed pasture and commonly use seasonally concentrated (block) calving, where more than 90% of the herd calve within 8 to 10 weeks to align calving and the herd's nutritional demands with pasture availability. Feed availability and climatic conditions are more variable, increasing system complexity and interdependence. Consequently, major system-level changes such as CCC in pasture-based contexts require careful consideration with input from relevant stakeholders. Modifications to on-farm practice may create both synergies and trade-offs across the interconnected system, developed over decades to support profitable, sustainable and resilient farming systems. The purpose of this mini review was to synthesize existing knowledge on CCC within block calving pasture-based dairy systems, identify the specific opportunities and constraints associated with these systems in the context of CCC, and highlight research gaps that need to be considered before its implications can be evaluated