How grazing affects soil quality of soils formed in the glaciated northeastern United States.

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.