Every Cow Deserves Grass: Regenerative Grazing at High Lawn Farm

High Lawn Farm has been raising Jersey cows in Lee, Massachusetts, for over 100 years. The cows have always had access to pasture, but until recently, the farm relied on continuous grazing—a system where animals stay on the same fields for extended periods. Without enough fencing to rotate effectively, some paddocks became overworked while others sat underused.

That began to change when the farm received a Regenerative Livestock Farming (RLF) microgrant from American Farmland Trust. The funds helped them fence off 20 acres of previously idle land, giving their dry cows access to fresh, well-rested pasture—and creating space for true rotational grazing for the first time.

“It’s been a total game changer,” says Mason Gilligan, High Lawn’s Farm Manager. “We didn’t have to supplement them at all. They were full, happy, and quiet.”