Agriculture & Farming

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Roaming livestock can negatively impact shoreline land by trampling plants, increasing erosion and causing bacterial contamination. If you have livestock on your property, you can reduce the impact to your shoreline by maintaining a healthy shoreline buffer, installing exclusion fencing, creating an upland water source, giving plants time to rejuvenate and minimizing grazing during vulnerable periods.

Find a balance between animal demand and available forage supply

Varying the number of livestock on your pasture at different times will balance your land’s carrying capacity ensuring forage is maintained and protecting your shoreline.

Reduce grazing during spring and summer

This is when soils around banks are saturated and vulnerable to trampling damage. Imposing grazing limits on pastures during these vulnerable times will encourage plant regrowth and reduce shoreline degradation.

Have an upland water source

According to recent research, implementing an upland water source will greatly reduce the environmental impacts of your livestock along the shoreline.

Maintain shoreline buffers

The roots of the vegetation will filter the runoff, hold soil in place and reduce the amount of fertilizers and pesticides that enter your lake ¾ all of which protects against erosion. For more information on shoreline buffers, please visit Shoreline Restoration.

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