We all know that developing a robust pasture-based livestock production system requires appropriate forage species that fit the environmental limitations and specific management conditions on your farm. Keeping those target forages performing well over time means that you’ll have to focus more intently on the underlying soil that supports their growth. But what does it mean to pay attention to the soil underneath? Is it enough to know the soil is red or brown, sandy or clayey, or full of rocks? Obviously, we need to dig deeper than that.
There are many unique features of soil that go beyond the obvious, including the physical dimensions, the chemical constituents, and the biological basis of many tiny organisms that bring soil to life. Getting to know some of these features of your soil will help you become a better livestock manager because sustaining forage production over decades requires that the soil is functioning well. Healthy soils support healthy forages, which in turn support healthy livestock. Your livestock will appreciate you taking the time to provide an all-natural, ecologically based forage diet on your farm.
One place to start learning more about the essential features of soil is from my recent writings. I write a regular article in Hay and Forage Grower in the section, “Sunrise on Soil”. You can find a variety of articles from the past three years at https://hayandforage.com/by-author-176-1.html.
Another source of information will be available monthly for a year in the series, “Soil Carbon in the Carolinas”. These articles describing various aspects of soil carbon in pastures originally appeared in the Carolina Cattle Connection during 2024/25. This series can be found at https://www.sciencesocieties.org/publications/crops-soils/soil-carbon-carolinas.
Left: Alan Franzluebbers meeting with Jeff Bradley and Ronnie Holman during soil sampling of pasture-based livestock farms in the winter of 2023. Jeff is a livestock and forages Extension Agent in Rutherford County, NC and Ronnie is a beef producer and former President of the American Forage and Grassland Council.
Alan Franzluebbers, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Raleigh NC
The Alliance for Grassland Renewal is a national organization focused on enhancing the appropriate adoption of novel endophyte tall fescue technology through education, incentives, self-regulation and promotion. For more resources or to learn more about the Alliance for Grassland Renewal, go to www.grasslandrenewal.org
The Alliance for Grassland Renewal 