Livestock Grazing Those who have studied soil biological crusts and who are familiar with livestock grazing have developed some general guidelines for consideration when developing grazing management prescriptions. Consider grazing when soils are less vulnerable to shear and compression. Timing is dependent on soil type and climatic regime. Crusts are least susceptible to trampling damage when soils are frozen or snow covered. Sandy soils are less susceptible when crusts are moist or wet.
Clay soils are less susceptible when crusts are dry.
In general, light to moderate stocking in early to mid wet season is recommended. On low to mid-elevation sites, winter use is advantageous to most vascular plants, including riparian communities, and substantially reduces supplemental feed costs. Winter grazing also most closely replicates the grazing strategy of native herbivores, who use more productive, higher-elevation sites during summer and lower elevation sites in winter. Remove livestock from an area where crusts are an important component before the wet season ends to allow regrowth of crustal organisms before extended drought. However, avoid wet, muddy soil surfaces to prevent burying the crust.