Manure is therefore deposited at random, making nutrient management more difficult. At times it may be useful to pull a drag over the pasture to spread the manure more evenly. Widely disbursed manure can be assimilated by pasture vegetation. Cattle and other livestock should not be allowed free access to drainage waters. Waste will be placed directly in the water, and animal traffic will cause soil disturbance and increased sediment.
Ponds are better for watering than flowing streams, but they can become contaminated with heavy use.
Alternative water supplies should be provided by diverting or pumping water to livestock, preferably using watering tanks. Feed, water, and lounge areas where animals congregate should be located so that runoff is filtered through vegetative buffer strips. When manure accumulates at such a site, it should be collected and land-applied correctly. We are becoming increasingly aware that almost everything we do may have some potential negative effect on the environment. BMPs are designed to reduce harmful effects.