Typical Challenges in Maintaining Pastures and Water Quality

Our team of experts in pasture management, water quality, and concentrated nutrient and waste management identified some of the typical challenges which managers might encounter on their farm and possible solutions.

• Pastures vary in the need for fertilizer and lime applications.
• Overstocking and intensive grazing may cause loss of high quality forages.
• Farm plans need to be adaptable due to changing horse numbers and group composition.
• Overgrazing, lack of pasture management, and adverse environmental conditions can cause weeds and toxic plants to flourish.
• More manure is generated than can be effectively utilized on most horse farms.
• Poor drainage and existing landscape configuration can create wet and muddy pastures.
• Stormwater runoff may transport animal waste to local waterways, which increases stream nutrients and fecal coliform bacteria.
• Improper storage of manure may cause leaching of nitrates and bacteria which contribute to groundwater contamination.