Even short periods of inundation can kill some pasture species. Manage grazing to make sure that pastures are tall and leafy. Waterlogged soils also have little strength and sheep and cattle can easily destroy the soil structure by pugging them. This further restricts water infiltration and so inundation becomes more serious. Farms with a large percentage of soils prone to pugging need special grazing management.
Stock can also uproot plants from waterlogged soils.
The pastures and weeds compete for the small amounts of nitrogen and shallow water. Weed seed banks can be reduced by selective spraying before seed set and by managing grazing pressures to encourage the seeds of desirable species to set. Weeds may also have to be killed in autumn, when pasture species that can tolerate waterlogging should be sown. Pastures that are still green in late spring and early summer can increase problems such as stomach worms and footrot in sheep. Rotational grazing with cattle can help overcome these problems.