Winter hay-feeding effects on soil properties in a rotationally grazed pasture system in the Ozark Highlands

Abstract

Soil nutrient management for pastures in Arkansas often ignores nutrients applied from feeding hay to cattle. Discounting nutrient contributions from hay may increase the likelihood of unnecessary fertilizer over-application. This study evaluated the effects of unrolling bales (unroll fed, UF) and using a ring feeder (ring fed, RF), compared to an unamended control, on changes in soil properties in the top 4 inches in a rotationally grazed, beef [red angus (Bos taurus)] pasture on silt-loam soils in northwest Arkansas. Forty-six cow–calf pairs were fed hay at 6.6 tons acre⁻¹ year⁻¹ (14.8 Mg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹; dry-weight basis) from December to February during the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 winters. Over the study period, extractable soil K and Mg concentrations increased (P < 0.05) by 83% and 33% for RF and by 126% and 51% for UF treatments, respectively. Soil bulk density (BD) decreased (P < 0.1) by 3.9% from 2015 to 2017 for the UF, while soil BD in the unamended control and RF treatments did not change over time. Mean overall infiltration was three times greater (P < 0.05) for the UF (1.76 mm min⁻¹) than RF (0.56 mm min⁻¹) treatment, while overall infiltration rate into the unamended control (1.1 mm min⁻¹) did not differ from the UF or RF treatments. Results demonstrated that hay-feeding strategies can impact soil BD and infiltration and that nutrients in winter-fed hay impart benefits to pasture soil fertility that should be accounted for in a soil fertility management scheme in a rotationally grazed, pasture system.