Editing Grazing

{{Short description|Feeding livestock on forage}}
{{about|a method of feeding in animal husbandry| herbivory in animal behaviour|Grazing (behaviour)|the human eating pattern|Grazing (human eating pattern)|Christian hermits|Grazers (Christianity)}}
[[File:Nordrhein-Westfalen weidende Milchkühe.JPG|thumb|Dairy cattle grazing in Germany]]
In [[agriculture]], '''grazing''' is a method of [[animal husbandry]] whereby domestic [[livestock]] are allowed outdoors to [[free range]] (roam around) and consume wild [[vegetation]]s in order to [[feed conversion ratio|convert]] the otherwise indigestible (by [[human digestive system|human gut]]) [[cellulose]] within [[grass]] and other [[forage]]s into [[meat]], [[milk]], [[wool]] and other [[animal product]]s, often on land that is unsuitable for [[arable farming]].

Farmers may employ many different strategies of grazing for [[crop yield|optimum production]]: grazing may be continuous, seasonal, or [[rotational grazing|rotational]] within a grazing period. Longer rotations are found in [[ley farming]], alternating arable and fodder crops; in rest rotation, deferred rotation, and mob grazing, giving grasses a longer time to recover or leaving land fallow. Patch-burn sets up a rotation of fresh grass after burning with two years of rest. [[Conservation grazing]] proposes to use grazing animals to improve the biodiversity of a site. <ref>{{cite journal | pmid=32369874 | year=2020 | last1=Filazzola | first1=A. | last2=Brown | first2=C. | last3=Dettlaff | first3=M. A. | last4=Batbaatar | first4=A. | last5=Grenke | first5=J. | last6=Bao | first6=T. | last7=Peetoom Heida | first7=I. | last8=Cahill Jr | first8=J. F. | title=The effects of livestock grazing on biodiversity are multi-trophic: A meta-analysis | journal=Ecology Letters | volume=23 | issue=8 | pages=1298–1309 | doi=10.1111/ele.13527 | s2cid=218521073 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2020EcolL..23.1298F }}</ref>

Grazing has existed since the [[History of agriculture|beginning of agriculture]]; [[sheep]] and [[goat]]s were [[domesticated]] by [[nomad]]s before the first permanent settlements were constructed around 7000&nbsp;BC, enabling [[cattle]] and [[pig]]s to be kept.

Livestock grazing contributes to many negative effects on the environment, including [[deforestation]], [[extinction]] of native wildlife, pollution of streams and rivers, [[overgrazing]], [[soil degradation]], [[ecological disturbance]], [[desertification]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/grazing/|title=Grazing|website=www.biologicaldiversity.org}}</ref> and [[ecosystem stability]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Liang|first=M.|date=2021|title=Grazing-induced biodiversity loss impairs grassland ecosystem stability at multiple scales |journal=Ecology Letters|volume=24|issue=10|pages=2054–2064|doi=10.1111/ele.13826|pmid=34319652 |bibcode=2021EcolL..24.2054L |hdl=1874/418875 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Hautier-Plas-2022">{{cite book | last1=Hautier | first1=Yann | last2=Van der Plas | first2=Fons | chapter=Biodiversity and Temporal Stability of Naturally Assembled Ecosystems Across Spatial Scales in a Changing World | publisher=[[Wiley Publishing|Wiley]] | date=2022-02-16 | doi=10.1002/9781119902911.ch9 | pages=189–209 | title=The Ecological and Societal Consequences of Biodiversity Loss | hdl=1874/427826 | s2cid=246920767 | isbn=978-1-78945-072-9 }}</ref>

==History==
{{further|History of agriculture}}
[[File:Fat tailed sheep, Afghanistan, 1976.jpg|thumb|The domestication of ruminants by 7000&nbsp;BC, like these [[fat-tailed sheep]] in Afghanistan, provided [[pastoral nomad|nomads]] across the Middle East and central Asia with a reliable source of food.]]
Sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs were domesticated early in the [[history of agriculture]]. Sheep were domesticated first, soon followed by goats; both species were suitable for [[nomadic]] peoples. Cattle and pigs were domesticated somewhat later, around 7000&nbsp;BC, once people started to live in fixed settlements.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gascoigne |first1=Bamber |author-link1=Bamber Gascoigne |title=HISTORY OF THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS |url=http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab57 |website=History World |access-date=26 September 2019}}</ref>

In America, livestock were grazed on [[Federal lands|public land]] from the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. The [[Taylor Grazing Act of 1934]] was enacted after the [[Great Depression]] to regulate the use of public land for grazing purposes.<ref>[http://www.nv.blm.gov/range/History_of_Grazing.htm "History of Public Land Livestock Grazing". Retrieved 1 Dec 2008] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108073210/http://www.nv.blm.gov/range/History_of_Grazing.htm |date=2008-11-08}}</ref>

==Production==

According to a report by the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]], about 60% of the world's grassland (just less than half of the world's usable surface) is covered by grazing systems. It states that "Grazing systems supply about 9 percent of the world's production of [[beef]] and about 30 percent of the world's production of [[Sheep meat|sheep]] and [[goat meat]]. For an estimated 100 million people in [[Arid-zone agriculture|arid areas]], and probably a similar number in other zones, grazing livestock is the only possible source of livelihood."<ref name=Haan1997>{{cite book | last1=de Haan | first1=Cees | last2=Steinfeld | first2=Henning |last3=Blackburn |first3=Harvey |date=1997 | title=Livestock & the Environment: Finding a Balance | chapter=Chapter 2: Livestock grazing systems & the environment | chapter-url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5303E/x5303e05.htm#chapter%202:%20livestock%20grazing%20systems%20&%20the%20environment | url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5303E/x5303e00.htm#Contents |location=[[Brussels]] | publisher=Commission of the European Communities (under auspices of the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]])}}</ref>

===Management===
[[File:Grazing_effect.jpg|thumb|The dark green portion of this pasture in New Zealand is fenced off to allow the grass to regrow before it is grazed again.]]

Grazing management has two overall goals:

# Protecting the quality of the pasturage against deterioration by [[overgrazing]]: in other words, maintain the [[sustainability]] of the pasturage
# Protecting the [[health]] of the animals against [[acute (medicine)|acute]] threats, such as:
#* [[Grass tetany]] and [[nitrate poisoning]]
#* [[Trace element]] overdose, such as [[molybdenum]] and [[selenium]] poisoning
#* [[Grass sickness]] and [[laminitis]] in horses
#* [[Milk sickness]] in calves

A proper land use and grazing management technique balances
* maintenance of forage and livestock production, with
* maintenance of [[biodiversity]] and [[ecosystem services]].<ref>{{cite report |author=James M. Bullock |author2=Richard G. Jefferson |author3=Tim H. Blackstock |author4=Robin J. Pakeman |author5=Bridget A. Emmett |author6=Richard J. Pywell |author7=J. Philip Grime |author8=Jonathan Silvertown |date=June 2011 |title=UK National Ecosystem Assessment: Technical Report |url=http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/ |chapter=Chapter 6 - Semi-natural Grasslands |chapter-url=http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Y4pLIpagaf0%3d&tabid=82 |publisher=UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre |pages=162–187 |access-date=17 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uknea.unep-wcmc.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=3ef%2bGcq2VLw%3d&tabid=82|title=Mountains, Moorlands and Heaths; National Ecosystem Assessment}}</ref>

It does this by allowing sufficient recovery periods for regrowth. Producers can keep a low density on a pasture, so as not to overgraze.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} Controlled burning of the land can help in the regrowth of plants.<ref name=Fuhlendorf2004>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00937.x |last1=Fuhlendorf |first1=S. D. |last2=Engle |first2=D. M. |year=2004 |title=Application of the fire–grazing interaction to restore a shifting mosaic on tallgrass prairie |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=41 |issue=4 |pages=604–614|bibcode=2004JApEc..41..604F }}</ref> Although grazing can be problematic for the ecosystem, well-managed grazing techniques can reverse damage and improve the land.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

On [[Common land|commons]] in England and Wales, rights of [[pasture]] (grassland grazing) and [[pannage]] (forest grazing) for each commoner are tightly defined by number and type of animal, and by the time of year when certain rights can be exercised. For example, the occupier of a particular cottage might be allowed to graze fifteen cattle, four [[horse]]s, [[pony|ponies]] or [[donkey]]s, and fifty [[geese]], while the numbers allowed for their neighbours would probably be different. On some commons (such as the [[New Forest]] and adjoining commons), the rights are not limited by numbers, and instead a 'marking fee' is paid each year for each animal 'turned out'.<ref>[http://www.verderers.org.uk/rights.html Forest rights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905035546/http://verderers.org.uk/rights.html |date=2018-09-05 }}.</ref> However, if excessive use was made of the common, for example, in overgrazing, a common would be 'stinted'; that is, a limit would be put on the number of animals each commoner was allowed to graze. These regulations were responsive to demographic and economic pressure. Thus, rather than let a common become degraded, access was restricted even further.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Susan Jane Buck Cox |title=No tragedy on the Commons |journal=Environmental Ethics |volume=7 |year=1985 |pages=49–62 |url=http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/dlc/bitstream/handle/10535/3113/buck_NoTragedy.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |issue=1|doi=10.5840/enviroethics1985716|bibcode=1985EnEth...7...49C }}</ref>
[[File:Maasai man with cattle.jpg|center|thumb|upright=4|{{Centre|A [[Maasai people|Maasai]] herdsman grazing his cattle inside the [[Ngorongoro crater]]}}]]

==Systems==

Ranchers and [[range science]] researchers have developed grazing systems to improve sustainable forage production for livestock. These can be contrasted with [[intensive animal farming]] on feedlots.

===Continuous===
{{main|Continuous grazing}}
[[File:Grazing, continuous.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Diagram of continuous grazing, a low-input, low-output system]]

With continuous grazing, livestock is allowed access to the same grazing area throughout the year.<ref>D. D. Briske, J. D. Derner, J. R. Brown, S. D. Fuhlendorf, W. R. Teague, K. M. Havstad, R. L. Gillen, A. J. Ash, W. D. Willms, (2008) [http://county.wsu.edu/kittitas/Documents/Briske%20Teague%20Havstad%202008%20rotational%20grazing%20on%20rangelands.pdf Rotational Grazing on Rangelands: Reconciliation of Perception and Experimental Evidence] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926171546/http://county.wsu.edu/kittitas/Documents/Briske%20Teague%20Havstad%202008%20rotational%20grazing%20on%20rangelands.pdf |date=2015-09-26 }}. Rangeland Ecology & Management: January 2008, Vol. 61, No. 1, pp. 3-17</ref>

===Seasonal===

Seasonal grazing incorporates "grazing animals on a particular area for only part of the year". This allows the land that is not being grazed to rest and allow for new forage to grow.<ref name=GCC>[http://www.bcgrasslands.org/grazingsystems.htm "Grazing Systems". Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia. Retrieved 1 Dec 2008] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010030248/http://www.bcgrasslands.org/grazingsystems.htm |date=October 10, 2008}}</ref>

===Rotational===
{{main|Rotational grazing}}
[[File:Grazing, rotational.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Diagram of [[rotational grazing]], showing the use of [[Paddock (field)|paddocks]], each providing food and water for the livestock for a chosen period. The grass is allowed to rest and puddling is reduced, possibly increasing yields. This can be contrasted with [[Intensive animal farming#Cattle|feedlot systems<!--matching diagram-->]].]]

Rotational grazing "involves dividing the range into several pastures and then grazing each in sequence throughout the grazing period". Utilizing rotational grazing can improve livestock distribution while incorporating rest period for new forage.<ref name=GCC/>

===Ley farming===
{{further|Convertible husbandry}}

In ley farming, pastures are not permanently planted, but alternated between [[fodder]] crops and arable crops.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legit.ng/1133691-ley-farming-advantages-disadvantages.html |title=Ley farming advantages and disadvantages |last=Ikande |first=Mary |date=2018 |website=Ask Legit |publisher=Legit (Nigeria) |access-date=24 September 2019}}</ref>

===Rest rotation===

Rest rotation grazing "divides the range into at least four pastures. One pasture remains rested throughout the year and grazing is rotated amongst the residual pastures." This grazing system can be especially beneficial when using sensitive grass that requires time for rest and regrowth.<ref name=GCC/>

===Deferred rotation===

Deferred rotation "involves at least two pastures with one not grazed until after seed-set". By using deferred rotation, grasses can achieve maximum growth during the period when no grazing occurs.<ref name=GCC/>

===Patch-burn===

Patch-burn grazing burns a third of a pasture each year, no matter the size of the pasture. This burned patch attracts grazers (cattle or [[bison]]) that graze the area heavily because of the fresh grasses that grow as a result. The other patches receive little to no grazing. During the next two years the next two patches are burned consecutively, then the cycle begins anew. In this way, patches receive two years of rest and recovery from the heavy grazing. This technique results in a diversity of habitats that different prairie plants and birds can utilize—mimicking the effects of the pre-historical relationship between bison and fire, whereby bison heavily graze one area and other areas have opportunity to rest, based on the concept of [[pyric herbivory]].<ref name=Fuhlendorf2004/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fuhlendorf |first1=Samuel D. |last2=Engle |first2=David M. |last3=Kerby |first3=Jay |last4=Hamilton |first4=Robert |title=Pyric Herbivory: Rewilding Landscapes through the Recoupling of Fire and Grazing |journal=Conservation Biology |date=June 2009 |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=588–598 |doi=10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01139.x|pmid=19183203 |bibcode=2009ConBi..23..588F |s2cid=205657781 }}</ref> The [[Tallgrass Prairie Preserve]] in northeastern Oklahoma has been patch-burn grazed with bison herds for over ten years. These efforts have effectively restored the bison–fire relationship on a large landscape scale of {{convert|30000|acre}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oklahoma/preserves/tallgrass.html |title=The Nature Conservancy in Oklahoma |website=www.nature.org |access-date=2010-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223051941/http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oklahoma/preserves/tallgrass.html |archive-date=2011-02-23  }}</ref> In the grazed [[Heath#Anthropogenic heaths|heathland]] of [[Devon]], the periodic burning is known as swailing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-22054636 |title=Dartmoor fire 'largest in years' |date=7 April 2013 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

===Riparian area management===

Riparian area grazing is intended to improve wildlife{{Clarify|reason=What is meant by 'improve wildlife'?|date=July 2021}} and their habitats. It uses fencing to keep livestock off ranges near streams or water areas until after wildlife or waterfowl periods, or to limit the amount of grazing to a short period of time.<ref name=GCC/>

===Conservation grazing===
[[File:Conservation Grazing Highland Cattle on the Wetland Centre Grazing Marsh.jpg|thumb|[[Conservation grazing]] by [[Highland Cattle]] at the [[London Wetland Centre]] nature reserve]]
{{Main|Conservation grazing}}

[[Conservation grazing]] is the use of grazing animals to help improve the biodiversity of a site. Due to their hardy nature, [[Rare breed (agriculture)|rare]] and native breeds are often used in conservation grazing.<ref name="RBST">{{cite web |title=Conservation grazing |publisher=[[Rare Breeds Survival Trust]] |url=http://www.rbst.org.uk/Rare-and-Native-Breeds/Uses-of-Rare-Breeds/Conservation-Grazing |access-date=May 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429051643/http://www.rbst.org.uk/Rare-and-Native-Breeds/Uses-of-Rare-Breeds/Conservation-Grazing |archive-date=2016-04-29  }}</ref> In some cases, to re-establish traditional [[hay]] meadows, cattle such as the [[English Longhorn]] and [[Highland cattle|Highland]] are used to provide grazing.<ref name="Shapwick">{{cite web |url=http://www.avalonmarshes.org/Shapwick_Moor |access-date=April 24, 2016 |title=Shapwick Moor Nature Reserve  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401224556/http://www.avalonmarshes.org/Shapwick_Moor |archive-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>

===Cell grazing===

A form of rotational grazing using as many small paddocks as fencing allows, said to be more sustainable.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mla.com.au/research-and-development/Grazing-pasture-management/native-pasture/grazing-management/grazing-strategies/ |title=Grazing strategies |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Meat & Livestock Australia |access-date=23 September 2019 }}</ref>

===Mob grazing===

Mob grazing is a system, said to be more sustainable, invented in 2002; it uses very large herds on land left [[fallow]] longer than usual.<ref>{{cite web| last=Salatin| first=Joel |author-link=Joel Salatin | title=Tall grass mob stocking| url=http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/May08_Salatin.pdf| work=Acres USA May 2008 vol 8 no 5| access-date=11 April 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111035028/http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/May08_Salatin.pdf| archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref>

==Environmental considerations==
{{see also|Environmental impact of agriculture|Environmental impacts of animal agriculture|Phosphorus cycle#Human influences}}
[[File:Cattle at Velika Planina, Slovenia.jpg|thumb|[[Transhumance|Summer grazing]] in a high-elevation environment at the [[Big Pasture Plateau]], Slovenia]]

===Ecology===
[[File:Old Norwegian Sheep at Prestøya, Brønnøy, Norway.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Old Norwegian Sheep]] grazing at an island on the coast of Norway. This is a vulnerable habitat where the sheep take part in a delicate ecological balance.]]

Many [[ecological]] effects, which may be positive or negative, derive from grazing. Negative effects of grazing may include [[overgrazing]], increased [[soil erosion]], [[Soil compaction (agriculture)|compaction]] and degradation, [[deforestation]], [[biodiversity loss]],<ref name=Haan1997/> and adverse [[water quality]] [[Eutrophication|impacts from run-off]].<ref>Schindler, David W., Vallentyne, John R. (2008). ''The Algal Bowl: Overfertilization of the World's Freshwaters and Estuaries'', University of Alberta Press, {{ISBN|0-88864-484-1}}.</ref><ref name="Nemecek 987–992">{{Cite journal |last1=Nemecek |first1=T. |last2=Poore |first2=J. |date=2018-06-01 |title=Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers |journal=Science |volume=360 |issue=6392 |pages=987–992 |doi=10.1126/science.aaq0216 |issn=0036-8075 |pmid=29853680|bibcode=2018Sci...360..987P |doi-access=free }}</ref> Sometimes grazers can have beneficial environmental effects such as improving the soil with nutrient redistribution and aerating the soil by trampling, and by controlling fire and increasing biodiversity by removing biomass, controlling shrub growth and dispersing seeds.<ref name=Haan1997 /> In some habitats, appropriate levels of grazing may be effective in restoring or maintaining native grass and herb diversity in [[rangeland]] that has been disturbed by overgrazing, lack of grazing (such as by the removal of wild grazing animals), or by other human disturbance.<ref name="Launchbaugh 2006">{{cite book |last1=Launchbaugh |first1=Karen |title=Targeted Grazing: A natural approach to vegetation management and landscape enhancement |date=2006 |publisher=National Sheep Industry Improvement Center in Cooperation with the American Sheep Industry Association |url=http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/rx-grazing/handbook.htm}}</ref><ref name="ref3">[https://archive.today/20130105203129/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118487870/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 History distribution and challenges to bison recovery in the northern Chihuahuan desert] Rurik, L., G. Ceballos, C. Curtin, P. J. P. Gogan, J. Pacheco, and J. Truett. ''Conservation Biology'', 2007, 21(6): 1487–1494. <!-- accessed 19 January 2010 --></ref> [[Conservation grazing]] is the use of grazers to manage such habitats, often to replicate the ecological effects of the wild relatives of domestic [[livestock]], or those of other species now absent or extinct.<ref name="ref2">[http://www.grazinganimalsproject.org.uk/what_is_conservation_grazing.html What is Conservation Grazing?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200409011110/http://www.grazinganimalsproject.org.uk/what_is_conservation_grazing.html |date=2020-04-09 }} Grazing Advice Partnership, UK, 2009.</ref>

Grazer urine and faeces "recycle nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other plant nutrients and return them to the soil".<ref name=NHO>[http://www.nativehabitat.org/grazing.html "Benefits of Grazing Cattle on the Prairie". Native Habitat Organization. Retrieved 1 Dec 2008] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306235850/http://www.nativehabitat.org/grazing.html |date=2007-03-06}}</ref> Grazing can reduce the accumulation of litter ([[organic matter]]) in some seasons and areas,<ref name=Fergus>{{cite web |url=http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/2008/feb/21/waterfowl-area-grazing-benefits-birds-cattle/ |title=Waterfowl area grazing benefits birds, cattle - The Fergus Falls Daily Journal |date=21 February 2008 |access-date=9 December 2008 |archive-date=16 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616043130/http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/news/2008/feb/21/waterfowl-area-grazing-benefits-birds-cattle/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> but can also increase it, which may help to combat [[soil erosion]].<ref>[http://intensivegrazing.tamu.edu/benefits.htm Dalrymple, R.L.. "Fringe Benefits of Rotational Stocking". Intensive Grazing Benefits. Noble Foundation. Retrieved 1 Dec 2008] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820082932/http://intensivegrazing.tamu.edu/benefits.htm |date=2008-08-20}}</ref> This acts as nutrition for insects and organisms found within the soil. These organisms "aid in [[carbon sequestration]] and water filtration".<ref name=NHO />

When grass is grazed, dead grass and litter are reduced, which is advantageous for birds such as [[waterfowl]]. Grazing can increase [[biodiversity]]. Without grazing, many of the same grasses grow, for example [[Bromus|brome]] and [[Poa|bluegrass]], consequently producing a [[monoculture]].<ref name=Fergus/> The ecosystems of North American [[tallgrass prairie]]s are controlled to a large extent by nitrogen availability, which is itself controlled by interactions between fires and grazing by large herbivores. Fires in spring enhance the growth of certain grasses. Herbivores preferentially graze these grasses, producing a system of checks and balances, and allowing higher plant biodiversity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bio-medicine.org/biology-news-2/Bison-Grazing-Increases-Biodiversity-In-Grasslands-14701-1/ |title=Bison Grazing Increases Biodiversity |website=news.bio-medicine.org |access-date=2008-12-09 |archive-date=2021-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427120239/http://news.bio-medicine.org/biology-news-2/Bison-Grazing-Increases-Biodiversity-In-Grasslands-14701-1/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In [[Europe]] [[Heath#Anthropogenic heaths|heathland]] is a [[cultural landscape]] which requires grazing by cattle, [[sheep]] or other grazers to be maintained.<ref>{{cite book|title=The History of the Countryside|first=Oliver|last=Rackham|author-link = Oliver Rackham|page=282|publisher=Phoenix|year=1997}}</ref>

===Conservation===
An author of the [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (FAO) report ''[[Livestock's Long Shadow]]'',<ref name="FAO-Report">{{cite report |author=Henning Steinfeld |author2=Pierre Gerber |author3=Tom Wassenaar |author4=Vincent Castel |author5=Mauricio Rosales |author6=Cees de Haan |url=http://www.fao.org/3/a0701e/a0701e.pdf |title=Livestock's long shadow |date=2006 |page=280 |publisher=[[Food and Agriculture Organization]] |isbn=978-92-5-105571-7 |access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref> stated in an interview:<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Harmful Environmental Effects Of Livestock Production On The Planet 'Increasingly Serious,' Says Panel |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070220145244.htm |work=[[ScienceDaily]] |location=[[Stanford University]] |date=22 February 2007 |access-date=27 September 2019}}</ref>

{{Quote|text=Grazing occupies 26 percent of Earth's terrestrial surface{{nbsp}}... feed crop production requires about a third of all arable land{{nbsp}}... Expansion of grazing land for livestock is also a leading cause of deforestation, especially in Latin America{{nbsp}}... In the Amazon basin alone, about 70 percent of previously forested land is used as pasture, while feed crops cover a large part of the remainder.}}

Much grazing land has resulted from a process of clearance or drainage of other habitats such as [[woodland]] or [[wetland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/113025 |title=Lowland Grassland Management Handbook |author1=A. Crofts|author2=R.G. Jefferson}}</ref>

According to the opinion of the [[Center for Biological Diversity]], [[extensive farming|extensive grazing]] of livestock in the arid lands of the southwestern United States has many negative impacts on the local biodiversity there.<ref>[[Center for Biological Diversity]]|source=[http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/grazing/ Grazing]</ref>
{{Quote|text=Cattle destroy native vegetation, damage soils and stream banks, and contaminate waterways with fecal waste. After decades of livestock grazing, once-lush streams and riparian forests have been reduced to flat, dry wastelands; once-rich [[topsoil]] has been turned to dust, causing soil erosion, stream sedimentation and wholesale elimination of some aquatic habitats}}

In arid climates such as the southwestern United States, livestock grazing has severely degraded [[riparian areas]], the wetland environment adjacent to rivers or streams. The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] states that agriculture has a greater impact on stream and river contamination than any other [[nonpoint source]]. Improper grazing of riparian areas can contribute to [[nonpoint source pollution]] of riparian areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ohioline.osu.edu/ls-fact/0002.html |title=Negative Effects of Livestock Grazing Riparian Areas |last1=Hoorman |first1=James |last2=McCutcheon |first2=Jeff |website=ohioline.osu.edu |publisher=Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources |access-date=15 June 2015  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617072453/http://ohioline.osu.edu/ls-fact/0002.html |archive-date=June 17, 2015 }}</ref> Riparian zones in arid and semiarid environments have been called [[biodiversity hotspot]]s.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Luoma, Jon | title=Discouraging Words | journal=[[Audubon (magazine)|Audubon]] | volume=88  | date=September 1986 | issue=92}}</ref> The water, higher [[Biomass (ecology)|biomass]], favorable [[microclimate]] and periodic flood events together produce higher biological diversity than in the surrounding uplands.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publiclandsranching.org/htmlres/wr_lifeblood_west.htm |title=Lifeblood of the West |access-date=August 8, 2007 |last=Kauffman |first=J. Boone |archive-date=August 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822185405/http://www.publiclandsranching.org/htmlres/wr_lifeblood_west.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1990, "according to the [[Arizona]] state park department, over 90% of the original riparian zones of Arizona and [[New Mexico]] are gone". A 1988 report of the [[Government Accountability Office]] estimated that 90% of the 5,300 miles of riparian habitat managed by the [[Bureau of Land Management]] in [[Colorado]] was in an unsatisfactory condition, as was 80% of [[Idaho]]'s riparian zones, concluding that "poorly managed livestock grazing is the major cause of degraded riparian habitat on federal rangelands".<ref>{{cite journal | author=Wuerthner, George | title=The Price is Wrong | journal=[[Sierra (magazine)|Sierra]] | date= September–October 1990}}</ref>

A 2013 FAO report estimated livestock were responsible for 14.5% of [[Anthropogenic greenhouse gases|anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/resources/en/publications/tackling_climate_change/index.htm|title=Tackling climate change through livestock // FAO's Animal Production and Health Division|website=Fao.org|access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |author=Gerber, P.J. |author2=Steinfeld, H. |author3=Henderson, B. |author4=Mottet, A. |author5=Opio, C. |author6=Dijkman, J. |author7=Falcucci, A. |author8=Tempio, G. |date=2013 |title=Tackling climate change through livestock – A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities |url=http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3437e.pdf |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) |pages=1–139 |isbn=978-92-5-107921-8 |access-date=3 October 2019}}</ref> Grazing is common in [[New Zealand]]; in 2004, [[methane]] and [[nitrous oxide]] from agriculture made up somewhat less than half of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions, of which most is attributable to [[livestock]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maf.govt.nz/climatechange/slm/vggr/page-01.htm#P610_60455|title=New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry – Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting Feasibility Study – Summary|website=Maf.govt.nz|access-date=16 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526205034/http://www.maf.govt.nz/climatechange/slm/vggr/page-01.htm |archive-date=2010-05-26}}</ref> A 2008 [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] report on emissions found agriculture was responsible for 6% of total United States greenhouse gas emissions in 2006. This included [[rice]] production, [[enteric fermentation]] in domestic livestock, livestock [[manure]] management, and agricultural [[soil management]], but omitted some things that might be attributable to agriculture.<ref name="epa.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.epa.gov/climate-change|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111218171807/http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html|title=Climate Change|first=OAR|last=US EPA|date=August 12, 2013|archivedate=December 18, 2011|website=www.epa.gov}}</ref> Studies comparing the [[methane emissions]] from grazing and feedlot cattle concluded that grass-fed cattle produce much more methane than grain-fed cattle.<ref name=Harper1999>{{cite journal |author1=Harper LA |author2=Denmead OT |author3=Freney JR |author4=Byers FM |title=Direct measurements of methane emissions from grazing and feedlot cattle |journal=J Anim Sci |date=Jun 1999 |volume=77 |issue=6 |pages=1392–401 |pmid=10375217 |url=http://www.journalofanimalscience.org/content/77/6/1392.full.pdf+html |access-date=29 March 2014 |doi=10.2527/1999.7761392x |url-access=subscription }}{{Dead link|date=June 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=Capper2012>{{cite journal|last=Capper|first=JL|title=Is the Grass Always Greener? Comparing the Environmental Impact of Conventional, Natural and Grass-Fed Beef Production Systems|journal=Animals|date=Apr 10, 2012|volume=2|issue=2|pages=127–43|doi=10.3390/ani2020127|pmid=26486913|pmc=4494320|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=Pelletier2010>{{cite journal|author1=Pelletier N|author2= Pirogb R|author3= Rasmussen R|title=Comparative life cycle environmental impacts of three beef production strategies in the Upper Midwestern United States|journal=Agricultural Systems|date=Jul 2010|volume=103|issue=6|pages=380–389|doi=10.1016/j.agsy.2010.03.009|bibcode= 2010AgSys.103..380P}}</ref> One study in the ''[[Journal of Animal Science]]'' found four times as much, and stated: "these measurements clearly document higher CH<sub>4</sub> production for cattle receiving low-quality, high-fiber diets than for cattle fed high-grain diets".<ref name=Harper1999/>

===Agrivoltaics===
[[File:Solar array over grazing field.jpg|thumb|[[Photovoltaic system|Solar array]] over grazing field]]
[[Agrivoltaics]] for grazing would allow for shade for the animals as well as the [[Vegetation|vegetation]] so the soil retains a higher [[Moisture analysis|moisture]] level.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smallfarmcanada.ca/news/Research%20Notes/agri-voltaics/|title=Agri-voltaics - Small Farm Canada|work=Small Farm Canada |date=6 July 2020 |last1=Wallace |first1=Janet }}</ref> This approach not only reduces maintenance costs by minimizing the need for mechanical mowing but also enhances land productivity by integrating renewable energy production with agricultural use.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agrivoltaics: Producing Solar Energy While Protecting Farmland |url=https://cbey.yale.edu/research/agrivoltaics-producing-solar-energy-while-protecting-farmland |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=Yale Center for Business and the Environment |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Cattle feeding]]
* [[Grazing rights]]

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary|grazing|grazer}}
*{{Commons category-inline}}

{{feeding}}
{{Agriculture footer}}
{{Ethology}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Land use]]
[[Category:Livestock]]
[[Category:Grazing]]