The study involved three experimental organic farming systems on which crops rotated with cattle. Researchers found no traces of common strains of E. coli or salmonella on the meat produced in the experiments, and pathogens detected in feed, fecal, and hide samples remained below thresholds commonly detected in conventional production systems.

The results show promise for the potential of farmers to integrate animal and crop production, says coauthor Kathleen Delate, a professor of horticulture and agronomy at Iowa State University. Experiments have shown such arrangements can help farmers realize a number of benefits, including better soil health, but Delate says no previous studies of such systems in the Midwest focused on food safety.

“Our feeling is that this kind of integration could be a practice more and more farmers could adopt for a variety of reasons,” Delate says. “Farmers are interested and are looking to universities and researchers for advice on how to get it done.”

The study in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems includes findings from three experimental farms in Iowa, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. A small number of cattle grazed on small grain (wheat and rye) pastures on the farms, and then corn and soybeans were planted on the same acres the following year before the land was returned to grazing pasture. This differs from common agricultural practices in which animal and crop production are kept separate.

Read the full article about rotating cattle and crops by Fred Love at Futurity.