Are you referring to free-ranging cattle or cattle that are restricted or confined to barns or pastures and used for producing food? Restricted or confined cattle will be where their owners or managers decide they should be. Free ranging cattle may choose to be in multiple sites, and if high water tables provide more vegetative growth and provide more drinkable water, then they are likely to migrate to those areas. Availability of grazing material is a primary driver of cattle to migrate from one area to another if they are free-ranging.
Thanks for reverting back. Here cattle includes both free moving and restricted. What you have mentioned is one aspect and much relevant. However, when I see the other aspect i.e. impact of cattle population on water table more importantly the deposition of cow dung and urine to conserve moisture as well as raising the level of water table, I find it more interesting. kindly share your feedback in this regard. I hope your experience and in in-depth knowledge can better guide me and make me more clear around this important query.
cattle is intelligent as compare with buffaloes and others ruminants ..... especially free moving catlle they mange their food and even remeber from this pace i will get my particular desire items....
There may be some benefit to the water table if cattle do not overgraze and the soil may benefit from the actions of their hooves. Water penetration might be improved. The water cycle involves evaporation and evapotranspiration, so if more vegetation grows, then more water will be taken up and transpired. Over a long time, this could result in more moisture entering the atmosphere locally and this can lead to more localized rainfall, especially with thundershowers. Most of our moisture in the atmosphere comes from oceans, so this would be a subtle local effect. Of course this is a long-term proposition, and it depends on having cattle that are compatible with the local climate (heat tolerance, insect resistance, grazing habits, etc.). I think it is unlikely that one would see the water table change much for decades. If it rises and this leads to more pumping for irrigation, it might be counterproductive.
Ruminants production depends on forage production and availability of grazing pasture. soil water table has relation of forage production, in that case if irrigation water is available , then grass production would possible. There are other factors also which effect the forage and/or grass production. Based on the literature reviews, looking for future R&D.
There are more interactions between groundwater table, grass and cattle. In the temperate zone (or equivalent elevation belt in the Himalayas) a high water table in winter slows the grass growth in spring. A permanent, rain-dependent high groundwater table creates peat conditions avoided by cattle. Further, interaction of fire, grass and bush encroachment is common grazed floodplains (see my chapter on Kafue, Zambia).