26/05/2024
Whether you eat animals or not, animal agriculture is important for restoring soil and ecosystem health, when using regenerative methods.
The soil on the left in the photo is the result of regenerative agricultural practises being implemented and holds significantly more organic, biological and carbon matter.
Sheep and cattle were carefully managed and rotated on the land. They ate the grass, deposited their urine and dung and were then moved away to let the area rest and revive itself.
The cycle is then repeated at a later date depending on season variability and vegetation recovery. This allows the pulling of carbon into the soil. It is darker because a larger amount of carbon from the atmosphere is now in the soil making it more nutrient rich and dense.
The soil on the right is from a commercial farm that uses animals on a set stocking rate on the land.
The dark colour is not an indication for all healthy soil types, however generally speaking the darker the soil the healthier it is.
The soil with more carbon holds a lot more water (roughly 150,000 liters of water per hectare for every 1% of carbon that’s added) and is full of microbes.
Animals play a crucial role in regenerating the land and getting carbon into the soil when properly managed.
These ‘regenerative’ practises also can be applied to crop management through the careful integration of livestock.
Photo From Gateway Research Organization
