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Cattle breeding, adopted in the Neolithic for the production of milk/meat and the supply of 
natural fertilisers for the soil by cattle manure, is however abandoned in favour of field crops. 
This specialization and intensification of agricultural production threatens the state of our 
soils. Several parameters are evaluated to objectively assess the state of soil fertility. This 
work focuses on the total organic carbon of the soil as well as the various essential nutrients 
(organic nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). Total organic carbon is essential for many key 
soil functions. It thus determines the quality and fertility of a soil. The factors influencing its 
dynamics are numerous but this work focuses on the effects of the contribution of organic 
matter to the soil in the form of cattle manure. Grasslands also play a critical role in 
sequestering total organic carbon. The Natural Park of Scheldt Plains, located on the silty, 
sandy-silty and Campine Hennuyère agricultural regions, is seeing large-scale crops spread to 
the detriment of cattle farms. This territory presents general deficiencies in the different 
nutrients studied within the two study groups (farms with and without cattle) applying 
livestock effluents on their agricultural soils. However, deficiencies are accentuated in the 
agricultural land of farms without cattle. These nutrient deficiencies appear to decrease with 
increasing amounts of manure applied. However, despite the use of organic and/or mineral 
fertilizers, the state of soil fertility seems difficult to maintain. Grazed grassland soils have 
higher total organic carbon and organic nitrogen levels than cropland but deficiencies remain.

Cattle breeding, Total organic carbon levels --- Sciences du vivant > Médecine vétérinaire & santé animale