Pasture release, also called cow release

Pasture release, also called cow release, is the occasion in the spring when dairy cows are released onto
green pasture after being indoors in a barn during the winter. When the cows come out they jump around
and rub themselves on the grass and seem obviously happy to get out. In addition to the joy of being able
to get out in the fresh air and get fresh food on new pastures, the relative ranking of the cows in the herd
is also tested.

When grazing is released, many farms open up to visitors who often also have an open house on the farm. In 2012,
the milk producer Arla counted on 120,000 visitors to the cowsheds on 49 of their selected farms in Sweden. In 2014, 150,000 visitors were counted, to compare with 2005 when a thousand people came.

In a transferred sense, the expression happy as a calf on green pasture comes from the events at pasture release.