Pasture and Range Management
Responding early to drought conditions is essential. Overusing forage in drought, combined with chronic over-use beforehand, can contribute to long term declines in productivity, as well as poor nutrition for livestock.
Watching that livestock do not overuse grass forages (i.e., grazing below about 3-4 inches stubble height on forage species) is essential. Grasses that have been historically overused by livestock or wildlife have less robust roots, that are less able to extract water from soils during drought. This can lead to grass mortality, lowering overall production.
In western Colorado, overall grass cover is expected to decline over the next few decades, due to increasing temperatures. This underscores the need for careful management, especially in drought. The most important thing you can do is reduce demand for forage by reducing stocking rate in drought relative to forage production on rangelands.
Animal Health in Drought
There are toxicity issues associated with plant species and water resources in drought. Due to lack of customary rangeland species in the drought, livestock may become more experimental in what they eat, and the possibility of water quality declines in stock ponds can be an issue.
Some forages can concentrate nitrates in drought conditions. It is imperative to test hay forages and ensure there is enough clean water and forage to maintain livestock health. Below are resources on weedy species seen in drought, and other issues associated with drought.
Additional Resources
Feature
Small Acreage Management
Poisonous Plants and Livestock
Research
Crops
Managing Western Whorled Milkweed
Research
Emergency Disaster Recovery
Caring for Livestock After Disaster
Drought Response Strategies
Alternative Feeds
Alternative forages could be a money saving strategy because the cost of hay can increase
substantially in drought. If you do choose an alternative forage, make sure you get it tested. Some forages, such as sorghum, can concentrate nitrates in drought. Excess nitrates can be toxic to livestock.
Additional Resources
Strategic De-stocking Strategies
While reducing herd size is a challenging thing to do, it may be a viable option in times of drought. Having a plan to destock in a strategic way may reduce the decision-making burden during a drought. It may also reduce financial consequences of the drought by culling cows according to financial and herd management goals.
Additional information is available from the National Drought Mitigation Center.
Decision Tools: You can also use one of our decision tools to contrast and compare the cost of different drought management strategies, such as comparing buying hay versus selling cows, or moving cows to rented pasture.
FSA Disaster Payments and Programs
In the event of a severe drought, the US Drought monitor triggers emergency aid to compensate producers for forage losses, and other drought related impacts. These programs, such as the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) do not require buying insurance in advance of the disaster but do require that you establish a relationship with the FSA.
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is the best source of information on the specifics of a program. Review information on FSA disaster assistance programs for more info. The FSA cannot advise what program you should choose. You may consider contacting your local Extension office to help navigate questions on FSA programs.