Optimizing Beef Cow-Calf Grazing across Missouri with an Emphasis on Protecting Ecosystem Services

Michael Aide, Indi Braden, Susan Murray, Collin Schabbing, Sophia Scott, Samantha Siemers, Sven Svenson and Julie Weathers
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Michael Aide: Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
Indi Braden: Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
Susan Murray: Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
Collin Schabbing: Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
Sophia Scott: Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
Samantha Siemers: Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
Sven Svenson: Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA
Julie Weathers: Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, USA

Land, 2021, vol. 10, issue 10, 1-12

Abstract: Soil health is an emerging paradigm for which much research in row crop agriculture has been undertaken. Research involving grazing lands and soil health has not been as active, a feature partially attributed to (i) greater erosional rates in cropland, (ii) loss of soil organic matter and reduced soil structure attributed to annual tillage practices, (iii) cash flow from cropland is easier to visualize than the value-added nature of grazing lands, and (iv) there exists more competitive grant funding sources for croplands. Grazing lands do require soil quality augmentation and investment in soil health to optimize their ecosystem services potential. This manuscript, with an emphasis on beef cattle grazing in the central USA, attempts to survey the literature to (i) identify the influence of grazing on important ecosystem services provided by Mollisols and Alfisols, (ii) develop a listing of soil indicators that may be selected to quantify and credential soil quality, and (iii) develop guidelines that align soil indicators and changes in grazing management to support the restoration of ecosystem services.

Keywords: soil health; soil quality; pasture management; soil indicators; ecosystem services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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