Effect of Various Grazing Systems on Type and Density of Cattle Trails

Abstract

Number and kinds of cattle trails may have a dramatic impact on relative amount of bare soil and subsequently on amount and rate of soil erosion. The objective of this study was to quantify the effect of a cell-designed, rotational grazing treatment (RG) on density and kinds of cattle trails. Density of cattle trails in the RG treatment was compared to those in heavy continuous (HC), moderate continuous (MC), and deferred rotation (DR) treatments at 4 distances from water. There were no differences among the HC, MC, and DR treatments in density of trails. Trail densities ranged from 14/km near water sources to 9/km at the far end of the pastures. This compares to the RG treatment where trail densities ranged from 164/km near the cell center to 24/km at the far end of the paddock. The effect of increasing the RG treatment from 14 to 42 paddocks was also investigated. Subdivision of paddocks increased trail densities near the center from 32/km to 57/km with no increase noted at the far ends of the paddocks. It is concluded that implementation of a cell-designed, RG system will cause a significant increase in density and number of cattle trails particularly near the cell center.