The grazing movement is, both literally and figuratively, a grass-roots movement. Many livestock producers in the northern USA have recently moved from predominantly confinement feeding systems to grazing systems. Most of them use some form of management-intensive rotational grazing in which livestock are periodically rotated from one paddock to another, allowing the plants in each paddock a rest period to recover from grazing.

The beginnings of the grazing movement originated with livestock producers and support groups, adapting routine methods and technology (Voisin, 1959) to their personal situations and needs. Once the movement became more visible and gained momentum, research interests grew and several research institutions, including the University of Wisconsin, began to support the movement.