TY - JOUR
T1 - Improvements in soil properties under adaptive multipaddock grazing relative to conventional grazing
AU - Mosier, Samantha
AU - Apfelbaum, Steve
AU - Byck, Peter
AU - Ippolito, Jim
AU - Cotrufo, M. Francesca
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported with funding from McDonald's and USDA FFAR: USDA Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (Grant award #514752). This soil research is part of a larger research project analyzing whether AMP grazing can contribute to soil C sequestration, improve ecosystem resilience, and socioecological resilience. First, we would like to give a huge thanks to all of the farmers that participated in this study. We also thank Ben Burpee and Will Overbeck for field assistance and Lauren Beu, Kyle Jackson, Reid Ernst, Sarah Wingard, Hannah Shikh‐Salim, and Paul Gadecki for lab assistance. Thanks also to Jenny Hodbod, Morgan Mathison, and Melissa McKendree for helping to conduct farmer surveys and interviews to verify farm management practices, additionally funded by VF Foundation/Wrangler/Timberland. Allen Williams and the GrassFed Exchange were integral in helping us to survey AMP farmers in the southeastern United States. Applied Ecological Services (AES) and Arizona State University (ASU) led the stratification and site selection of the farms. Special thanks go to our research colleagues from ASU, Michigan State University, New Mexico State University, University of Illinois, University of Arkansas, University of Exeter, USDA–ARS, Ecdysis, Terra Nimbus, and AES.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Agronomy Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society of Agronomy.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Within managed ecosystems, such as some livestock grazed grasslands, soil physical, chemical, and biological properties may be severely compromised relative to native grasslands. Conventional grazing (CG) management, commonly referred to as continuous grazing, can affect soil properties and health by reducing soil C stocks and other available nutrients, while creating bare patches in vegetation that may enhance erosion and runoff. In contrast, adaptive multipaddock (AMP) grazing, an intensive form of rotational grazing that moves dense cattle herds quickly over the land followed by rest periods for the regrowth of plants, has been proposed as a regenerative grassland management tool that can improve soil properties such as soil C stocks, soil structure, as well as nutrient and water retention. Our research analyzed soils from 10 grasslands in the southeast United States representing either CG or AMP grazing management. We analyzed the A-horizons of these soils for physical, chemical, and biological properties considered indicators of soil health across each management type. Chemical soil properties (e.g., cation exchange capacity [CEC], base saturation [BS], electrical conductivity [EC]) were improved where AMP grazing management was implemented. Additionally, farms using AMP grazing management had greater A-horizon C and N stocks in bulk soils and across multiple soil organic matter (SOM) fractions. No biological indicators measured were affected by the grassland management except potential N mineralization rate, which was lower under AMP. Taken together, these results provide evidence that AMP grazing management could be implemented to regenerate several grassland soil properties across land currently under conventional grazing management.
AB - Within managed ecosystems, such as some livestock grazed grasslands, soil physical, chemical, and biological properties may be severely compromised relative to native grasslands. Conventional grazing (CG) management, commonly referred to as continuous grazing, can affect soil properties and health by reducing soil C stocks and other available nutrients, while creating bare patches in vegetation that may enhance erosion and runoff. In contrast, adaptive multipaddock (AMP) grazing, an intensive form of rotational grazing that moves dense cattle herds quickly over the land followed by rest periods for the regrowth of plants, has been proposed as a regenerative grassland management tool that can improve soil properties such as soil C stocks, soil structure, as well as nutrient and water retention. Our research analyzed soils from 10 grasslands in the southeast United States representing either CG or AMP grazing management. We analyzed the A-horizons of these soils for physical, chemical, and biological properties considered indicators of soil health across each management type. Chemical soil properties (e.g., cation exchange capacity [CEC], base saturation [BS], electrical conductivity [EC]) were improved where AMP grazing management was implemented. Additionally, farms using AMP grazing management had greater A-horizon C and N stocks in bulk soils and across multiple soil organic matter (SOM) fractions. No biological indicators measured were affected by the grassland management except potential N mineralization rate, which was lower under AMP. Taken together, these results provide evidence that AMP grazing management could be implemented to regenerate several grassland soil properties across land currently under conventional grazing management.
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U2 - 10.1002/agj2.21135
DO - 10.1002/agj2.21135
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85134914694
SN - 0002-1962
JO - Agronomy Journal
JF - Agronomy Journal
ER -