38 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN March 2025 T I L , M S H F Focus on Improving Soil Health to Achieve Your Forage Production and Land Health Goals LAURA BRENNER | SENIOR CONTENT WRITER, NOBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTE Abundant, healthy pastures are essential for grazing livestock operations. Visions of lush spring grasses dance in every producers’ mind this time of year. But many pastures in the United States aren’t healthy, often because the soil is depleted. The secret ingredient to healthy pastures is healthy soil. Restoring soil health is easier than you may think and can save time and money in the long run. Starting with healthy soil can reduce input costs and improve long-term pasture production. If you want to achieve soil health on a budget, there are a few tried-and-true strategies that the Noble Research Institute relies on for building healthy soil – and healthy pastures – that work on every farm or ranch, regardless of the location. A S C To track progress toward your land health goals, you need a baseline assessment. The first step is to evaluate your soil. Look straight down when you’re doing pasture checks and take a look at the land at your feet. Consider the ratio between forages and bare ground within two to three feet of you. Then note the amount of diverse species of those forages. Next, go beneath the surface. Use a shovel to dig into the soil and notice how easily it slides into the soil. This alone can give you a feel for the amount of soil compaction or changes in the soil’s makeup over time. Turn the soil over and feel for its moisture content and texture. You’re aiming for a spongy texture with a rich, earthy, fresh aroma. Be sure to take notes about what your pasture looks like today and what you want it to look like in the future to help you focus on where to start making changes to your management practices. Come back to this practice throughout the year to see how your soil is progressing. C G P Collecting information about the current state of your pastures allows you to start writing down a grazing plan for the year. CONTINUED ON PAGE 40 PRODUCTION
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