Do Differences in Livestock Management Practices Influence Environmental Impacts?

Abstract

Herbivore-carnivore interactions are fundamental to grassland ecosystem functionality and to the human cultures that have long depended on these ecosystems for their nutrition. However, a large literature has developed during the past century indicating that animal agriculture is responsible for numerous negative environmental impacts. In this paper, I review literature on some of the environmental impacts of two different livestock management approaches, industrial-conventional (IC) management and regenerative-multi-paddock (RM) management. I consider the null hypothesis that the environmental impacts of ruminant livestock production are independent of the approach used to manage animals and grazing lands. It evident in the literature that managed grazing ecosystems are complex, and for certain system attributes, such as forage quality and plant community structure, the better management system is difficult to discern. In other areas definitive differences in impacts appear clearly management dependent. For instance, the soils of RM grasslands exhibit higher microbial biomass and diversity, and higher fungal: bacterial ratios than IC soils. Several impacts associated with livestock production appear to have less to do with grazing, per se, and more to do with support factors, such as feed production and manure management. The compilation of data from numerous sources suggests that RM management may reduce blue withdrawals and GHG emissions by >50%, relative to IC management. Accumulating data also suggest that a significant portion of anthropogenic CO 2-eq emissions can be removed from the atmosphere and stored in the soil by applying RM management practices. Finally, it is suggested that while research design may affect the outcomes of some studies, the quality and quantity of the science may not resolve many discrepancies in the data. It is suggested that the viability and sustainability of animal agriculture may depend upon broadening the goals of practitioners to include both food production and the restoration and protection of agricultural ecosystem services.

Changes in the Quality of Vegetation Cover and Soil of Pastures in Semi-Deserts of West Kazakhstan, Depending on the Grazing Methods

“…Grazing has caused serious degradation of vegetation both directly (by animals eating the grass) and indirectly (by trampling) [Kleppel, 2020]. According to the results of our study, the smallest species composition of vegetation in the amount of 20 species with a low height of 22 cm was found on pastures with intensive grazing.…”

“…With seasonal use, pasture areas get the opportunity to rest, which subsequently has a positive effect on the quantitative and qualitative composition of vegetation and soil cover [Nasiyev et al, 2016]. Rest, even for one year, will allow pastures to significantly restore their sparse grass cover [Kleppel, 2020]. In the studies by Yuping Rong, Fei Yuan, and Lei Ma [2014] the elimination of grazing sheep from the desert steppes for 8 years increased vegetation cover and about three times increased the biomass of vegetation, especially the shrubs component, increased the contents of total nitrogen, at a depth of 0-10 cm (110%) and 10-20 cm (60%) and total phosphorus at a depth of 0-10 cm (114%) and 10-20 cm (64%) (P < 0.05).…”

Structure and functioning of wild and agricultural grazing ecosystems: A comparative review

“…Because different authors and practitioners refer to RM by a variety of different terms, we have described some of the more commonly used terms in Table 1. Ultimately, RM seeks to mimic natural relationships between grazers, plant, and soil communities to restore and maintain soil health, protect natural resources, and optimize ecosystem services (Teague et al, 2011;Kleppel, 2014Kleppel, , 2021Brown, 2018). Thus, RM has a dual focus: livestock production and environmental stewardship.…”

One or many? Multi-species livestock grazing influences soil microbiome community structure and antibiotic resistance potential

“…Compared with cropping systems, however, little is known about how grazing management impacts soil microbial communities in pastures and rangelands (Dignam et al, 2016;Acharya et al, 2021). Multi-species rotational grazing (MSRG) is a management-intensive alternative to continuous monospecies stocking that may hold promise for improving environmental sustainability of animal agriculture (Kleppel, 2020). In MSRG systems, pasture is subdivided into smaller cells or paddocks through which two or more livestock species are rotated in series, followed by a long rest period to allow forage regrowth.…”