More and more successful regenerative farming programs are integrating livestock back on the land to improve soil health. For farmers in a corn, soybean rotation they may not think they can add livestock. However, some are cooperating with livestock producers to temporarily move cattle onto corn stalks, cover crops or in emergency release situations, established conservation program acres.
Soil Conservationist Mike Winkler with McCook, Nebraska NRCS, says cattle provide various agronomic benefits. “Just that hoof action on the soil breaking up some of that top layer compaction there. If we do have that top layer of compaction that could be hindering water infiltration, aggregate stability, all that kind of stuff is kind of wrapped up into each other. So having cows out there is definitely a good thing.”
Livestock introduced in the fall to graze cover crops or corn stalks provide natural fertilizer and can help break up crop residue and speed up microbial action in the soil.
Winkler says, “You know that buildup of litter even in no-till situations or cover crop situations, getting that through an animal breaking that down getting that litter pounded into the soil.”
And Winkler says cattle can also break up the litter in established grass stands or CRP to keep the native grasses and wildlife habitat thriving. “And grasses will start going dormant, wildlife tends to leave at that point in time when you have something that’s just so thick. So, we can utilize cows, bring cows back out there to trample that liter down into the soil, eat some of those plants off and really beat that grass back a little bit. That will allow some of our forbes and legumes and wildflowers that are setting out there in the soil to kind of rejuvenate them and give them an opportunity to express themselves.”
Plus, farmers restoring pasture once converted to cropland can speed up that process through rotational grazing to reintroduce the native grass species and help regenerate the land.
