What Does Pasture-Raised Mean?

What Does Pasture-Raised Really Mean?

It generally means animals have meaningful access to pasture, where they can graze, forage, and act on natural instincts like rooting, scratching, and roaming. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has never defined it in law, so what it means depends entirely on the farm behind it. 

Key Takeaways

• The USDA reviews pasture-raised claims on meat and poultry labels and, since 2024, asks producers to document that animals spent most of their lives on pasture.
• On poultry labels, cage-free means no cages, free-range means outdoor access, and pasture-raised means living mostly on ground covered in grass or other plants.
• Pasture-raised looks different by season and by animal, so ask any farm, ours included, where its animals live in winter.

What Does Pasture-Raised Mean on a Meat Label?

Pasture-raised means that animals spend the majority of their lives on pasture, with the freedom to graze and forage. On a meat or poultry label, that pasture is land mostly covered in grass or other plants. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) treats pasture-raised as a voluntary claim, and producers have to send in documents backing it before FSIS approves the label.

FSIS receives upwards of 200+ applications regarding animal-raising labeling per week, so it’s difficult to ensure that all standards and regulations pertaining specifically to pastured livestock are being followed.

Because the USDA considers terms like "pasture-raised" marketing labels, regulations defining pastured livestock aren’t strict. FSIS updated its animal-raising claims guideline in 2024, but it still sets no minimum acreage and no daily hours outside.

At Seven Sons, we use the term literally, and so do our partner farms. Our cattle, sheep, and bison spend their entire lives on pasture, and our hogs live on pasture year-round with access to shelter when the weather turns. We rotate our ethically raised chickens on regenerative pastures seasonally, and the winter section below explains what that means in practice. 

What's the Difference Between Pasture-Raised, Free-Range, and Cage-Free?

Cage-free means no cages, free-range means outdoor access, and pasture-raised means the birds lived mostly on grass or other plants. The table below shows what the 2024 FSIS guideline asks each label to show and who checks it.

A cage-free bird may never leave the barn. Free-range adds outdoor access, though FSIS doesn't count birds kept inside all season because of weather. A door to the outside doesn't mean the birds use it: chickens like to be covered, so they're reluctant to go out if they don't have adequate protection.

For all three labels, the key is reviewing the producer's own paperwork. That's why we'd trust a farmer's straight answer over the words on any package.

What Doesn't the Pasture-Raised Label Guarantee?

A pasture-raised label doesn't tell you about a set amount of land, the number of hours outdoors, a rotation schedule, or an independent audit. Question any claims made on certifications or labels. We know this from being inside the industry and visiting other agricultural facilities.

The USDA does check pasture-raised claims, but it checks them on paper, by reviewing what the producer writes down about how the animals are raised. FSIS strongly encourages producers to also use an independent certifier who audits farms, though it doesn’t make them. If a package names a certifier and its website, someone outside the farm is checking the claim, and you can read that certifier’s standards yourself. 

A label won’t tell you whether a farm rotates its animals, either. Animals left on the same ground graze it down until there’s more dirt than grass. On our farm and our partner farms, we use regenerative grazing, moving many animals to fresh pasture on a schedule. They get new forage to graze, and the ground they left gets time to rest and grow back. 

Multispecies grazing makes rotational grazing more beneficial by improving ecological resilience, productivity, and natural control of pests and predators.

Forage management practices include selecting the right plant seeds for initial perennial pasture establishment, limiting plant species that try to dominate the paddock, and implementing practices to reduce pests and improve soil health.

What Does Pasture-Raised Look Like Through an Indiana Winter?

Through the winter, our cattle, bison, sheep, and hogs stay out on pasture, and our chickens don’t. Here’s what changes on our Indiana farm when the ground freezes. Our partner farms share our standards, though their winters look different depending on where they farm.

Cattle and Bison

Our cattle and bison live outdoors and eat only grass and forage, never grain. When the grass stops growing, they eat hay and stockpiled pasture, which is grass we save in the fall for them to graze later. Indiana’s freeze-and-thaw winters are hard on wet ground, so we plan our grazing and harvest schedule around the seasons to keep our pastures healthy for spring.

Hogs

Our hogs spend the winter in open, large, straw-bedded shelters built right on the pasture. They come and go as they like, spending much of the day foraging. As they root through the pasture, they turn the soil and leave manure behind, which feeds the ground and helps more kinds of plants grow back.

Chickens

We’ll be upfront about chickens. On our farm in Roanoke, Indiana, our birds live in mobile coops on pasture from early May through late October. Young birds can’t survive on a frozen pasture, so we don’t raise chickens on our pastures in winter.

In winter, chickens come from partner farms whose climate and setup let birds keep getting outside. Their birds live in warm barns with windows for natural light and more space than organic standards call for, and they go outside when the seasonal weather allows. 

We’d like more of our own birds outside year-round, so next year we’re piloting all-weather coops with outdoor access, set in silvopasture, which is pasture planted with trees. Stay tuned for those updates!

How Does Pasture-Raised Differ by Animal?

Pasture-raised looks a little different for grazing animals than for chickens and hogs, because they eat differently. Cattle, bison, and sheep are ruminants, which means their stomachs have several chambers that break down grass. A good pasture gives them everything they need, so we never feed them grain. That’s what makes our 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef possible, along with bison and lamb raised the same way. 

Chickens and hogs love to forage too. Our chickens scratch through the grass for bugs and seeds, and our hogs root for whatever they can find. But neither can live on pasture alone, so ours also get feed that includes grain, made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

When we talk about pasture-raised chicken on our farm, we mean ethically raised chicken rotated seasonally on regenerative pastures, eating both what they find and the feed we give them. Our partner farms work to the same standard.

Our pasture-raised hogs play a vital role in our land management and stewardship. By raising our hogs on pasture rather than indoors, we improve the nutrient cycling of our paddocks and encourage plant diversity in the ecosystem.

Animals raised in a more natural environment are healthier and experience less stress than animals that spend most of their lives indoors. 

How Can You Check a Farm's Pasture-Raised Claim?

Instead of relying on a label or a certification, choose producers that are transparent about their practices. These questions work on any farm, ours included.

1. Ask how much outdoor space each animal gets. A straight answer is a number, like our chickens getting at least as much room outside as inside.
2. Find out how often the animals move to fresh pasture. Look for a schedule, meaning daily or weekly.
3. Get specifics on winter housing. Expect to hear the months on pasture, the housing, and the outdoor access.
4. Check what the animals eat besides pasture. For chickens and hogs, an honest farm will tell you about the feed.
5. Learn who checks the claim and whether you can visit. Look for a named certifier, published standards, or an open invitation.

Ethical producers are happy to show you how they operate, and willing to answer questions about how they manage their livestock. A farm that dodges these questions is telling you something too.

Why Do Specific Answers Matter More Than the Label?

A pasture-raised label tells you a farm has made a claim. To know whether it holds up, you need the specifics behind it: how much room the animals get, how often they move, and where they spend the winter. We’d rather you hold us to that test than take our word for it, so read our written farming standards for every animal we raise. If you’re ever near Roanoke, come walk the pastures and see for yourself.

FAQ

What does pasture-raised mean?

Pasture-raised means animals spent most of their lives on land covered in grass or other plants, with room to graze or forage. Space and winter care vary by farm, since the USDA sets no minimums.

What is the difference between pasture-raised and free-range?

Free-range means birds could get outdoors to an area with no set size or ground cover. Pasture-raised goes further, since USDA guidance asks producers to show their birds lived mostly on ground covered in grass or other plants.

What is the difference between free-range and cage-free?

Cage-free means birds aren't kept in cages, and those birds can spend their whole lives indoors. Free-range adds continuous access to the outdoors during the normal growing period, though the label still sets no minimum outdoor space.

Is pasture-raised a regulated term?

Pasture-raised is reviewed but not defined in law. The USDA checks each claim's supporting documents before approving a meat or poultry label, but its regulations contain no legal definition. A certified label also names the certifier behind it.

Does pasture-raised mean the animals are outside all year?

Not always, since the label only requires most of an animal’s life to be on pasture. On our farm, cattle and bison stay outside year-round, hogs can step out of their winter shelters whenever they like, and chickens rotate on pasture for about six months, May through October.

What happens to pasture-raised animals in winter?

In winter, pasture-raised animals usually get stored feed, shelter, or both, depending on the species and farm. On our farm, grazing animals eat grass saved from the growing season, and hogs sleep in bedded shelters, while winter chicken comes from partner farms with warm, window-lit barns.

Is pasture-raised the same as grass-fed?

No. Pasture-raised describes where an animal lived, while grass-fed describes what it ate. Only grazing animals like cattle, bison, and sheep can be 100% grass-fed and grass-finished because chickens and hogs need more than pasture provides.

Do chickens raised on pasture eat only grass?

No, chickens on pasture eat grass, legumes, wildflowers, worms, and bugs, plus feed. Our ethically raised chicken is rotated on regenerative pastures seasonally and always have a non-GMO corn and soybean feed available.

How much outdoor space does pasture-raised require?

The USDA sets no minimum outdoor space, so the number comes from the farm or its certifier. Our chickens get at least as much room outside as inside, and often two to three times more in summer.

How can I check whether a farm really pastures its animals?

Ask the farm specific questions about space, rotation, winter housing, and feed, then look for a named certifier or an invitation to visit. Farms that pasture animals well can describe their routine in detail.