Harvesting losses such as leaf shattering are reduced by grazing. Finally, manure handling costs are reduced substantially in a grazing program since most of the defecation occurs in the fields. This could eliminate the need for a lagoon or other manure storage facilities. Mechanical harvesting of forages is highly weather dependent. Wet conditions create hazards of greater soil compaction and losses in mass and nutritional quality of crops.
Grazing is free of weather constraints during the usual season.
Soil compaction by cows during intensive grazing is negligible, even under very wet conditions. The cows are in one plot only a few hours. They are nearly always moving, not trampling in one spot. While walking, they help press seeds into the ground for germination. The grasses are sometimes helped when lightly trodden into the mud, it seems, by helping runners take root.