Soil Profile Conditions of Cattle Feedlots 1

Characterization of the conditions that exist in the feedlot surface and soil profile is important to evaluation of the potentials for soil and water pollution. Cattle action and management activities create a dynamic condition in the feedlot. The organic matter surface causes physical and biochemical changes in the soil that are unlike natural or cultivated soils. The feedlot profile can be described as three layers: the organic matter, the interface, and the underlying soil. Measurable characteristics include bulk density, infiltration, and content of organic matter, water, and nitrate-N. Generally, the surface 15.2-cm depth of feedlot soils is compacted and has a high bulk density. Infiltration into the feedlot surface layers is essentially zero. There is no transpiration, and the soilwater content is more uniform through the profile than on cropped land.