Forage litter is not a waste of feed by Nadia Mori, MSc, PAg, Regional Forage Specialist Watrous Regional Services Office Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Whether you call it litter, mulch, or simply the dead stuff between the growing vegetation, this material is an important part of your pasture’s long-term health. Forage left behind after grazing because it was not eaten or maybe just trampled by the animals may seem like waste but. it will turn into litter which is like a deposit into your forage bank account, allowing your forage stand to grow richer over time. Litter is an important component of a healthy pasture, be it tame or native forage. Litter keeps the soil surface cool in the heat of summer and
insulates the soil against extreme cold during the winter. Because litter helps regulate soil temperature there is less moisture lost to the air and more soil water available to plants during dry growing conditions. At the same time, litter can protect your soil surface through minimizing the physical impact of falling rain drops. Water will be slowed down and given a chance to infiltrate the soil. Litter along with live plant roots slows runoff and creates a pathway for water to flow into the soil. This greatly reduces the potential for soil erosion by water. Keeping the bare soil between plants covered with litter also reduces wind erosion and the opportunities for weeds to grow or insects like grasshoppers to lay eggs. As soil mi-
croorganisms break down the litter to humus, nutrients are recycled to support and fertilize growing plants. Can you ever have too much litter? In rare occasions where a pasture has seen little or no use for a number of years, it may be possible that litter temporarily reduces forage production because of too much shading. Overall though, the benefits of litter retention far outweigh any potential risk of forage production loss. So how do you measure the amount of litter on your pasture? In an area about 50 cm by 50 cm, use your hand to rake up all readily available litter material and form it into a ball or clump. Set the ball of material on your hand. If the amount of material covers your palm and the
entire length of your fingers you have around 450 lbs of litter per acre. If the material on your hand covers your palm and only half of your fingers your pasture averages around 250 lbs of litter per acre. Minimum litter amounts for a healthy tame pasture in the dark brown soil zone range from 350 to 450 lbs of litter per acre and 400 to 550 lbs per acre in the black soil zone. Keep in mind that this is a quick and rough method of estimating your litter. If you would like to learn more about pasture health assessment and litter measurements on your pasture, please contact your local Ministry of Agriculture Regional Forage Specialist or the Agriculture Knowledge Centre (Toll-free 1-866-457-2377).
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