GrassWorks, a Wisconsin-based organization with an extensive Midwest and national reach, was formally organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 1994. There was a previous non-profit called the Southern Wisconsin Farmers Research Network, organized in 1988, that morphed into GrassWorks. Dairy graziers formed the majority of farmers who started the two organizations. The history of GrassWorks was and still is closely intertwined with the history of managed grazing.

Although a number of farmers were practicing some form of managed grazing before the 1980s, there were several events that spurned an interest in grazing among dairy farmers in the 1980s. What was called “The Farm Crisis of the 1980s” featured high interest rates, falling land prices, low milk prices, high input costs, and high debt levels that pushed conventional farmers to the edge. A severe regional drought in 1988 compounded the problem. Many farmers were forced to either go out of business or look for alternatives. A growing environmental movement and opposition to chemical agriculture by consumers and producers were additional factors.

The New Zealand model of managed, low-input, dairy grazing was particularly attractive to many Midwest dairy farmers. The model featured low-cost parlors, small paddocks, moveable electric fencing, long grass rest periods, and seasonal milking among other things. Dairy graziers in the Midwest discovered that with such technologies, managed grazing could often net them over $1,000 per cow per year on small farms while offering less stress, rebuilding of topsoil, and conservation of the environment.

There were initial centers of managed grazing in Wisconsin. The first was in the southwest including Lafayette, Iowa, and Grant Counties. The second was in the northcentral part of the state including Taylor, Clark, and Marathon Counties. The idea of managed grazing quickly spread over the state and across state boundaries.

GrassWorks became the educational and networking engine for this movement, hosting 32 well-attended conferences in key locations such as Wisconsin Dells, Stevens Point and Wausau. The conferences attracted well over 12,000 attendees. Regional conferences and pasture walks attracted thousands more. At least 45 grazing networks have existed in the state. Thousands of grazing plans were written. Eighty-five individuals, most of them farmers, have served on the GrassWorks Board. GrassWorks became dedicated to all classes of livestock including dairy, beef, sheep, goats, hogs, poultry, and others.

GrassWorks depended heavily for several years on Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) funding for its conference and other activities. When that funding ran out around 2012, GrassWorks had to innovate with belt-tightening and other sources of funding. Thanks to extensive grant writing and good fiscal management by the Director and the Board in the recent decade, GrassWorks is now in excellent financial shape.