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This project was initiated in the summer of 2015 to assess the viability of increased field use frequency for in-field winter feeding on two soil types. The purpose of this project is to: Determine the effects of a two-in-three year bale grazing rotation and associated nutrient loading (including carbon capture) on soil, forage yield and forage quality of two Alberta pastures; Determine the effects of a two-in-three year bale grazing rotation on nutrient migration into a local shallow groundwater system; monitor and compare soil moisture and temperature regimes of winter bale grazed sites and non-winter grazed sites; assess potential for optical sensors (drone and quad-mounted sensors) to estimate forage biomass and carbon capture.This project will help characterize the in-field components of the nutrient cycle and the hydrologic cycle and how they respond to increased nutrient and residue loading that exceeds AAFC and provincial recommendations.� An increase in nutrients combined with the other benefits of in-field winter feeding will improve pasture health through increased nutrient cycling, soil building, soil moisture retention and lower soil temperatures. The latter two parameters combined with plant residue and surface microsite creation through pugging have direct positive impacts on the hydrologic cycle.�Deliverables for this project include: Recommendations on bale grazing return rates to revise the existing AARD publication �Wintering Site Assessment and Design Tool� (AARD 2013); Recommendations for incorporating a risk assessment on potential groundwater impacts from increased nutrient loading to update the same publication; An bale grazing calculator that incorporates the economic components of bale grazing with the information being developed in AAFC Lacombe for other in-field winter feeding practices (swath, corn and stockpile grazing); Factsheets and/or publications and field days that highlight the results of this project; Tools that allows optical sensor equipment (NDVI) to measure field biomass and carbon capture.