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Here's a list of benefits:
- Large grazing herbivores are an integral component of a natural grass-dominated ecosystem that required thousands of years to develop
- Through their feeding action, cattle grazing stimulates plant growth and increases per acre yield.
- Through their urine and feces, cattle recycle nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other plant nutrients and return them to the soil
- When properly managed, cattle grazing serves as a powerful tool for enhancing environmental conditions and forage yields on most rangelands
- Through their trampling action, cattle grazing increases the amount of litter on the ground, and thereby reduces the amount of soil lost by water and wind erosion (trampling by cattle also helps increase the amount of rainwater that is absorbed in the soil and goes into below-ground aquifers)
- The hoof action of grazing cattle plays an important role in the survival of many species of range plants
- Through their fecal matter, cattle grazing plays an important role in feeding bacteria, fungi, protozoa, beneficial nematodes, and other microorganisms found in rangeland soils (These tiny organisms keep nitrogen and other soil nutrients in a water-soluble form, allowing them to be slowly released into the ecosystem as food)
- In addition, the fecal matter of grazing cattle plays an important role in carbon sequestration and water filtration, and does so by supporting the life of insects and organisms such as dung beetles and earthworms (In other words, cattle grazing plays a key role in increasing the amount of carbon and water stored in the soil, as well as the amount of rainwater going into below-ground aquifers)
- Through their hoof action, cattle grazing is Nature's way of planting seed on rangelands (Hoof action ensures good soil contact)
- When properly managed, cattle grazing converts the solar energy captured by native grasses into a sustainable source of meat, milk, leather, and valuable by-products for human consumption
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