The Niort plain (Poitou-Charentes, France) presents several environmental challenges due to the presence of: (i) the protected bird species, Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax), which needs different types of grassland for its optimal development (nesting and growth), and (ii) droughts which reduce the water available for maize irrigation. This shortage of irrigation water for maize means that cattle tend to be grazed rather than being fed silage. Both these factors make for a renewed interest in grassland. In this context, socio-anthropological interviews were carried out with eleven farmers to ascertain their views about grazing for dairy cows, and whether or not they practise it. Results of interviews are presented in terms of farmers’ general ideas on grazing; its implications for product (butter) labelling; their conceptions in terms of labour requirements and herd management; and the security and simplicity of diets (erratic milk production associated with transition from maize silage to grazing in spring, and implications of effects on rumen flora). Labour specialization, linked to farm enlargement, is seen to lead to greater complexity, and grazing management is seen by farmers as complex, compared with the stability and simplicity of a maize diet.