Study results on sheep grazing on arable land in winter

Employees of the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) worked with sheep farms in the state of Brandenburg to investigate the effects of sheep grazing winter catch crops on the subsequent crop.

The study was carried out in the three consecutive winters of 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 as part of the "Shepherds protect" ("Schäfer schützen") network project. The aim was to examine how grazing winter catch crops by sheep affects nitrogen availability in the soil. Many arable farms are currently sceptical about sheep grazing.

"Although winter grazing by sheep was widespread in the past, there are only a few farmers who still have experience with sheep grazing their winter catch crops. As a result, many are reluctant to respond to enquiries from sheep farmers who want to use arable land for winter grazing," explains Ann-Kristin Saurma-Jeltsch, coordinator of the "Shepherds protect" network.

In the practical study, the mineral nitrogen content of winter intercropping areas with and without sheep grazing was repeatedly determined over three years at three locations in the state of Brandenburg. In addition, vegetation assessments were carried out on the total nitrogen content, the growth height and the degree of crop cover of the catch crop and subsequent crop in winter and spring.

A key finding of the study is that grazing of winter catch crops by sheep had no detrimental effects on nitrogen availability and thus on the subsequent crop. Despite different weather and site conditions, neither the soil analyses nor the plant tests showed any significant differences between the grazed and ungrazed areas. Even if the results of this practical study only represent trends, they show that grazing winter catch crops does not have a detrimental effect on arable farming.

About the network:
"Schäfer schützen" is a project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection with the aim of sustainably strengthening sheep farming in the state of Brandenburg and making the profession of shepherd attractive again. Through an effective exchange of knowledge and increased cooperation between sheep farms, advisory services and science, resource and climate-relevant innovations and their adaptation to the conditions in the state of Brandenburg are to be developed and disseminated.