How grazing affects soil quality of soils formed in the glaciated northeastern United States.
Abstract: Historically, much of the New England landscape was converted to pasture for grazing animals and harvesting hay. Both consumer demand for local sustainably produced food, and the number of small farms is increasing in RI, highlighting the importance of characterizing the effects livestock have on the quality of pasture soils. To assess how livestock affect pasture on Charlton and Canton soils series in RI, we examined soil quality in farms raising beef cattle (Bos taurus), sheep (Ovis aries), and horses (Equus ferus caballus), using hayed pastures as a control. We sampled three pastures per livestock type and three control hayed pastures in May, August, and October 2012. Hay fields and pastures grazed by sheep had statistically significant (P sheep > beef cattle > horses. The results of our study provide baseline data on the effect different types of livestock have on pasture soil quality in RI, which may be useful in making sound land use and agricultural management decisions.
Publication Date: 2018-02-21 PubMed ID: 29468318DOI: 10.1007/s10661-018-6550-5Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research analyzes the impacts of different livestock animals – beef cattle, sheep, and horses – on the quality of pasture soils in Rhode Island, with hayed pastures serving as a control. Findings suggest that grazing by sheep and hay production have favourable outcomes on soil quality compared to pastures grazed by beef cattle or horses, when measuring parameters such as penetration resistance, bulk density, aggregate stability, and infiltration rate.
Objective and Methodology
- The objective of this research is to define the effects of different types of livestock on soil quality in pastures in Rhode Island with the results intended to provide baseline data that aids in making informed land use and agricultural management decisions.
- The research team sampled soils from three different pastures for each type of livestock and three hayed pastures used as control groups. These samples were collected in May, August, and October 2012.
Results
- Soils from pastures grazed by sheep and hay fields showed significantly better quality compared to those grazed by beef cattle or horses, according to several parameters including penetration resistance, bulk density, aggregate stability, and infiltration rate.
- Hay fields also showed higher soil quality measures than grazed pastures when it came to organic matter content and active Carbon.
- Statistical differences in nitrate and phosphate concentrations were also noticed between different types of livestock.
- No significant differences were observed among pasture types when it came to respiration and infiltration rates, pH, and ammonium concentrations.
- When considering all soil quality indicators equally, soil quality scores in descending order were: hay, sheep, beef cattle, horses.
Implications
- The findings underline the importance of selecting the appropriate type of livestock for maintaining the quality of pasture soils.
- The study can inform land use and agricultural management decisions for local farmers, pushing them towards more sustainable practices like raising sheep or producing hay.
- This research also emphasizes the role of grazing animals in soil health, contributing to the discussions around sustainable food production.
Cite This Article
APA
Cox AH, Amador JA.
(2018).
How grazing affects soil quality of soils formed in the glaciated northeastern United States.
Environ Monit Assess, 190(3), 159.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-6550-5 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of Rhode Island, Natural Resources Science, Kingston, RI, USA. alibba@uri.edu.
- University of Rhode Island, Natural Resources Science, Kingston, RI, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Agriculture
- Animals
- Cattle
- Environmental Monitoring
- Herbivory
- Horses
- Livestock
- New England
- Sheep
- Soil / chemistry
- Soil Pollutants / analysis
Grant Funding
- N/A / Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station
References
This article includes 2 references
- Hubbard RK, Newton GL, Hill GM. Water quality and the grazing animal.. J Anim Sci 2004;82 E-Suppl:E255-263.
- Wienhold BJ, Andrews SS, Karlen DL. Soil quality: a review of the science and experiences in the USA.. Environ Geochem Health 2004 Jun-Sep;26(2-3):89-95.
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Yang Y, Ashworth AJ, DeBruyn JM, Willett C, Durso LM, Cook K, Moore PA Jr, Owens PR. Soil bacterial biodiversity is driven by long-term pasture management, poultry litter, and cattle manure inputs.. PeerJ 2019;7:e7839.
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