Soil Health in Forage-Livestock Systems

By Leo Vieira-Filho and Liliane Silva

Soil health is defined “as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans” (USDA, 2024).

Soil health is measured by assessing chemical (e.g., nutrient concentration, pH and organic matter), physical (e.g., bulk density, infiltration and water holding capacity) and biological properties (e.g., microbial biomass, potentially mineralizable nitrogen and soil enzymes) of the soil.

There are several ways to increase soil health in forage systems. Incorporation of legumes in the forage system, for example, is an excellent way to increase forage diversity and boost microbial activity.  Consequently, nitrogen from the atmosphere will be fixed in the soil by legumes, resulting in lower expenses with inorganic fertilizer.

Adopting an alternative source of nutrients, such as poultry litter, will also help promote soil health. Poultry litter is a source of many nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sulfur. Those practices have the potential to increase organic matter in the soil, which will favor nutrient-holding capacity and water-holding capacity.