Pastureland Sheet 1 

Soil Quality Information Sheet 

Pastureland Soil QualityIntroduction USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service July 2003 

What is pastureland? 

Pastureland supports introduced or domestic native 

forage species and is used primarily for livestock 

production. It receives periodic renovation and/or cultural 

treatments, such as tillage, applications of fertilizer, 

mowing, and weed control. Permanent pastureland is in 

areas where the present operator has no desire to change 

the land use or rotate crops in the field. Some areas of 

pastureland are irrigated. Some may have trees growing 

on them as part of a secondary, silvicultural enterprise. 

Others are open savannas or partially cleared forests 

where introduced forage species have naturalized and 

supplanted all, or nearly all, of the native herbaceous 

plants. 

What is pastureland condition? 

Pastureland condition is the status of the plant 

community and the soil in a pasture in relation to its 

highest possible condition under “ideal” management. The 

land user selects and establishes the desired plant 

community unless a preexisting one is acceptable or can 

be developed from the existing site. The desired plant 

community should be selected on the basis of the 

adaptability to the existing soils and climate at the site. 

Livestock production goals and livestock forage 

preferences should also be considered. 

Where “ideal” pastureland management is applied, 

grazing pressure and agronomic inputs are managed in a 

manner that keeps the desired plant community reasonably 

stable at the species proportions desired for the livestock 

type and class. Over time, permanent pastures tend to 

naturalize. Other unintended plants invade and become 

part of the plant community. Some of these are acceptable 

forage species; others are not. Shifts in plant species 

composition, if allowed to proceed without intervention, 

usually result in a plant community that does not meet the 

goals of the land user. This plant community often 

produces lower quality forage than the established pasture 

plant community, sometimes yields less forage, and may 

not respond as well to agronomic inputs. 

What is soil? 

Soil is a dynamic resource that supports plants. It 

consists of mineral particles of different sizes (sand, silt, 

and clay), organic matter, air, water, and numerous species 

of living organisms. Soil has biological, chemical, and 

physical properties, some of which change in response to 

how the soil is managed. 

What is soil quality? 

Soil quality is the capacity of a specific kind of soil to 

function within natural or managed ecosystem boundaries, 

sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance 

the quality of water and air, and support human health and 

habitation. Soil quality reflects changes in the capacity of 

soil to function in response to management within a 

particular environmental setting. 

What does soil quality affect on 

pastureland? 

• Plant production, reproduction, and mortality 

• Erosion 

• Vegetation composition 

• Water availability and water quality 

• Wildlife habitat 

• Carbon sequestration 

• Livestock health and production 

How are soil quality and pastureland 

condition related? 

Pastureland condition and soil quality are 

interdependent. Pastureland condition is characterized by 

the functioning of both the soil and the plant communities. 

The capacity of the soil to function affects ecological 

processes, including the capture, storage, and 

redistribution of water; the growth of plants; and the 

cycling of plant nutrients. For example, increased surface 

compaction caused by excessive or untimely livestock 

traffic decreases the infiltration capacity of the soil and 

thus the amount of water available to plants. As the 
availability of water decreases, plant production declines. 

Some plant species may disappear, and less desirable 

species may increase in abundance. Where livestock 

traffic is very heavy and prolonged, bare areas become 

evident. In contrast, vigorous, rapidly growing plants 

increase the inputs of organic matter into the soil and thus 

improve water infiltration and the subsequent availability 

of water to plants, and they reduce the potential for 

erosion by providing a vegetative cover, which reduces 

the impact of raindrops and minimizes subsequent soil 

movement. Changes in vegetation may precede or follow 

changes in soil properties and processes. Significant shifts 

in vegetation generally are associated with changes in soil 

properties and processes and/or the redistribution of soil 

resources across the landscape. In some cases, such as 

accelerated erosion resulting in a change in the soil 

profile, this shift may be irreversible. In others, recovery is 

possible with changes in grazing management. 

Why is soil quality important? 

Changes in soil quality that occur as a result of 

agronomic and grazing management affect: 

• the amount of water from rainfall and snowmelt that 

is available for plant growth; 

• surface runoff and the potential for erosion; 

• the availability of nutrients for plant growth; 

• seed germination, seedling establishment, vegetative 

reproduction, root growth, forage production; and 

• the ability of the soil to filter and protect water and 

air. 

How are soil quality indicators 

integrated into pastureland 

assessments and monitoring? 

Changes in pasture condition are evaluated on the basis 

of soil and vegetation indicators. Evaluations made 

through assessment and monitoring provide information 

about the functional status of soil and pastureland. Soil 

quality indicators are properties that change in response to 

management, climate, or both and reflect the current 

functional status. Functions include maintaining soil and 

site stability; distributing, storing, and supplying water 

and plant nutrients; and maintaining a healthy plant 

community. 

How are soil quality indicators used 

on pastureland? 

Assessment.—Soil quality indicators are used to 

increase the value and accuracy of pastureland 

assessments and trends. Assessments help to identify 

pastured areas where problems occur and areas of special 

interest. Land managers can use this information and other 

inventory and monitoring data to make management 

decisions, which, in turn, affect soil quality. When 

assessments or comparisons are made, the desired plant 

community is the standard. For the soils associated with a 

given forage suitability group, the properties that change 

in response to management or climate are used as 

indicators. 

Monitoring.—Tracking trends in the functional status 

of the soil and the plant community helps to determine the 

success of the management practices or the need for 

additional management changes or adjustments. Regular 

measurement of soil quality at the same location can 

detect changes over seasons or years and provide early 

warning of future problems. 

How do I get more information? 

For additional information, refer to pastureland soil quality 

information sheet 2, “Indicators for Assessment and 

Monitoring." 

Pasture condition indicators.Descriptions of the 

following qualitative assessment indicators are available 

in the “Guide to Pasture Condition Scoring” and the 

“Pasture Condition Score Sheet” at 

http://www.glti.nrcs.usda.gov. 

 Percent desirable plants Plant cover 

 Plant residue Plant diversity 

 Plant vigor Livestock concentration areas 

 Uniformity of use Erosion 

 Percent legume Soil compaction 

Soil quality and rangeland soil quality information 

sheets.The following fact sheets include information 

about additional soil quality indicators that can be used on 

pastureland. Download the sheets from 

http://soils.usda.gov/sqi. 

 Aggregate stability Compaction 

 Infiltration Organic matter 

 Physical and biological crusts Soil biota 

 Soil pH Salinization 

 Water erosion Wind erosion 

Other fact sheets are also available. 

(Prepared by the Soil Quality Institute, Grazing Lands Technology Institute, National Soil Survey Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA 

and Agricultural Research Service, USDA)

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