From pats and pee to plants

Authors: Franzluebbers, Alan

Submitted to: Hay and Forage Grower
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/24/2024
Publication Date: 1/7/2025
Citation: Franzluebbers, A.J. 2025. From pats and pee to plants. Hay and Forage Grower. p. 9.

Interpretive Summary: Soil organic matter varies with land use and depends on soil type. An ARS scientist in Raleigh North Carolina described how soil organic matter typically varies with land use and how much nitrogen can be stored in this important component of surface soil. Description was given of soil organic matter composition, transformations, and cycling. With grassland management, soil organic matter typically accumulates near the soil surface. A large quantity of nitrogen can accumulate and be made available to forage through the action of soil microorganisms that decompose organic matter and release inorganic nitrogen into soil solution. This summary of nitrogen contained in soil organic matter continues a series of popular press articles aimed at farmers managing forage and grazing lands in the US.

Technical Abstract: Livestock excrement on perennial pastures is a daily process. What is the fate of these feces and urine? An ARS scientist in Raleigh, North Carolina described the processes taking place when cattle and sheep excrete digestive waste onto the pasture environment. A variety of insects can be the first invaders of this process and ultimately a host of bacteria and fungi consume these organic inputs and turn them into valuable nutrients that can be taken up by pasture plants. This nutrient cycling process can impair off-site water quality if livestock management leads to frequent concentration in a small portion of the pasture. However, the nutrient cycling process can be robust and effective when livestock are managed with careful attention to geospatial distribution of forage resources. This summary of nutrient cycling from livestock excrement to the soil through microbial activity and back to forage plants continues a series of popular press articles aimed at farmers managing forage and grazing lands in the US.