Continuing Education and
Communication Services
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
8/10/01
For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Mahdi Al-Kaisi, Agronomy, (515) 294-1923, malkaisi@iastate.edu
Mark Hanna, Ag and Biosystems Engineering, (515) 294-0468, hmhanna@iastate.edu
Steve Barnhart, Agronomy, (515) 294-1923, sbarnhar@iastate.edu
Del Marks, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-9807,
delmarks@iastate.edu
Livestock Management Helps Reduce Pasture Erosion
AMES, Iowa -- Farmers with livestock on pasture often allow access to
creeks and rivers for drinking water. But three Iowa State University
professors say that poor pasture management and livestock with direct
access to surface water can contribute to soil erosion and water quality
concerns.
Mahdi Al-Kaisi, an ISU Extension agronomist, and Mark Hanna, ISU Extension
ag-biosystems engineer, say that there are three key issues. "The
problems are manure runoff from pastures, soil erosion caused by animals
in or near the water, and poor pasture management that strips vegetative
cover," says Al-Kaisi. "All these concerns become especially
acute where streams are not protected by buffer strips."
Steve Barnhart, another ISU Extension agronomist, agrees. "Ordinarily,
factors such as excretion at the water's edge and the impact of hoof traffic
cause the most problems. Of course, manure is a great nutrient source,
but it is an environmental concern when it contaminates water."
Barnhart says pasture management is important. "Consider a rotational
grazing system. Rotating animals through a series of 'paddocks' allows
farmers to better manage pasture while controlling livestock access to
streams. It also reduces the manure concentration and the amount of traffic
in fragile areas, and allows vegetation to reestablish itself when not
being used."
They all agree that pastures are especially vulnerable to excessive soil
erosion. "Usually," says Hanna, "pastures are set on sloping
land or land that isn't suited for crop production. Farmers should avoid
over-grazing -- too many animals in the same place for too long leads
to poor vegetative stands, which leaves the soil exposed and likely to
erode."
In general, farmers should find alternatives to using streams for livestock
watering. Farmers should consider fencing livestock away from waterways
and using alternatives to 'in-stream' watering (for example, nose pumps;
solar, wind or battery pumps; or gravity delivery systems). Moreover,
most farmers find animal health and production improve after they've taken
the animals out of the water. Livestock producers can help alleviate concerns
by moving areas for wintering, shelter and feeding away from streams.
For more information on how farmers can help improve water quality through
better pasture management, contact your local ISU Extension office.
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Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.