What gives sheep grazing an arable field

Carl Bockholt writes about the details of sheep cultivation in an article: “Due to the many problems in modern farming - from the climate crisis to weed resistance to herbicides and biodiversity loss - sheep weeding and stubble grazing can become attractive agricultural services.

For centuries, sheep and goat grazing has been a natural part of field care. And today it makes sense to return this practice. 

First, grazing allows you to increase the productivity of the field in a natural way instead of applying a large amount of chemical mineral fertilizers. Year-round vegetation cover and sheep or goat grazing improve soil HEALTH . Cover crops prevent erosion, and organic fertilization with animal excrement and urine optimally prepares the soil for subsequent crops. As researchers have proven, sheep urine and feces contain a complex of important substances for plants: nutrients, beneficial enzymes and bacteria, even growth hormones. 

Secondly, changing the crop rotation for grazing will effectively control weeds, including those that have developed resistance to herbicides. Dr. Joachim Bischoff, State Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture Saxony-Anhalt (LLG), Bernburg, said that in his work, together with colleagues, an extended 7-field crop rotation was created and tested specifically for grazing (compared to a conventional 4-field one) and summer idle sowing of alfalfa.

LLG researchers are participating in the Federal Organic Farming Program, topic "Methods for integrating grazing with sheep in an organic farming system."

In an 8-hectare test field in Bernburg, a herd of sheep eat catch crops and stubble from oats and alfalfa. The main attention is paid to the cultivation of plants. This includes the selection of suitable cover crop mixes and the impact of livestock grazing on erosion protection and soil health.

Crop rotation expansion and sheep grazing have shown the following effects:

A series of trials is followed by veterinary examinations to draw conclusions about the health management of sheep in arable pastures. The project will run until September 2026. It is coordinated by the Bavarian State Institute of Agriculture.

In addition to the economic assessment of arable pastures, a mobile application should be developed, according to which it is possible to find out the parameters of arable land suitable for grazing sheep.”