Adaptive multi-paddock grazing enhances soil carbon and nitrogen stocks and stabilization through mineral association in southeastern U.S. grazing lands
Open accessAbstract
Grassland soils are a large reservoir of soil carbon (C) at risk of loss due to overgrazing in conventional grazing systems. By promoting regenerative grazing management practices that aim to increase soil C storage and soil health, grasslands have the potential to help alleviate rising atmospheric CO 2 as well as sustain grass productivity across a vast area of land. Previous research has shown that rotational grazing, specifically adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing that utilizes short-duration rotational grazing at high stocking densities, can increase soil C stocks in grassland ecosystems, but the extent and mechanisms are unknown. We conducted a large-scale on-farm study on five "across the fence" pairs of AMP and conventional grazing (CG) grasslands covering a spectrum of southeast United States grazing lands. We quantified soil C and nitrogen (N) stocks, their isotopic and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy signatures as well as their distribution among soil organic matter (SOM) physical fractions characterized by contrasting mechanisms of formation and persistence in soils. Our findings show that the AMP grazing sites had on average 13% (i.e., 9 Mg C ha -1 ) more soil C and 9% (i.e., 1 Mg N ha -1 ) more soil N compared to the CG sites over a 1 m depth. Additionally, the stocks' difference was mostly in the mineral-associated organic matter fraction in the A-horizon, suggesting long-term persistence of soil C in AMP grazing farms. The higher N stocks and lower 15…
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Compared to continuous grazing systems, AMP grazing is thought to bolster SOC accrual by adaptively optimizing grazing frequency, timing, duration, and intensity, thereby increasing SOC inputs, reducing losses, and improving the efficiency of below-ground transformations.
“Compared to continuous grazing systems, AMP grazing is thought to bolster SOC accrual by adaptively optimizing grazing frequency, timing, duration, and intensity, thereby increasing SOC inputs, reducing losses, and improving the efficiency of below-ground transformations”
From Impact of 10 years of adaptive multi-paddock grazing on soil carbon and beef's greenhouse gas footprint in the US Upper Midwest (2026) · cites this paper as Mosier et al., 2021
Multiple studies have demonstrated SOC gains under AMP grazing, alongside broader improvements in ecophysiological indicators of soil health such as enhanced plant community composition and water dynamics.
“Despite limited long-term data, multiple studies have demonstrated SOC gains under AMP grazing (e.g., Mosier et al., 2021;Stanley et al., 2025), alongside broader improvements in ecophysiological indicators of soil health such as enhanced plant community composition and water dynamics (Apfelbaum et al., 2022;Döbert et al., 2021).”
From Impact of 10 years of adaptive multi-paddock grazing on soil carbon and beef's greenhouse gas footprint in the US Upper Midwest (2026) · cites this paper as Mosier et al., 2021
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“Conversely, several types of rotational grazing can restore grassland ecosystem function and have beneficial impacts on soils as well (Conant et al., 2003; Dubeux et al., 2006; Teague et al., 2011; Machmuller et al., 2014; Teague, 2018; Stanley et al., 2019).”
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- Authors
- Mosier, S., Apfelbaum, S., Byck, P., Calderon, F., Teague, R., Thompson, R., & Cotrufo, M. F.
- Affiliations
- Colorado State University (US)
- Applied BioPhysics (United States) (US)
- Arizona State University (US)
- Texas A&M University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mosier, Samantha
- Venue
- Journal of Environmental Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-06
- Volume
- 288
- Pages
- 112409
- ISSN
- 0301-4797 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3146817844
- Cited by
- 176
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 34 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 13
- FWCI
- 14.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
- www.elsevier.com/open-access/userlicense/1.0/ (am, 310 d)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-017 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-037 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-012 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-029 (stm-asf)
- doi.org/10.15223/policy-004 (stm-asf)
- Locations
- Journal of Environmental Management (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- McDonald's
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Forestry › Pasture and Agricultural Systems
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil erosion and sediment transport
- Keywords
- adaptive multi-paddock grazing, rotational grazing, soil carbon stocks, soil nitrogen stocks, mineral-associated organic matter, soil organic matter fractions, nitrogen isotopes, soil carbon sequestration, nitrogen retention, grassland soils, climate change mitigation
- MeSH terms
- Carbon, Minerals, Nitrogen, Soil, Southeastern United States, Ecosystem, Grassland
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