Drought recovery is a gradual process that requires strategic management to ensure pastures are resilient in their fight to regain health and productivity. Effective pasture management is crucial for drought recovery. Quality strategies should be used to restore your pastures and ensure long-term sustainability.
Drought conditions have overtaken thousands of acres of grazing pastures in the United States this year. Per the October 29, 2024, USDA drought monitor, 62 percent of the nation's beef cattle are in intense drought conditions. Forage-based operations, like hay and alfalfa, are in 63 to 65 percent intense drought conditions. These drought conditions have created much worry for the rancher. Cattle have been sold due to the loss of forage production, limiting pasture carrying capacity. Hay production, for winter feeding has dropped significantly, leaving the rancher searching for hay to purchase, which in itself has been a difficult task.
Just two weeks ago, I had a rancher approach me asking if I knew where he could buy some bales of hay. The rancher said he wouldn't mind driving to purchase some hay because he had some good cows and didn't want to sell them. Sadly, this is the state many are in, and it truly is a dilemma. The question then arises, what can ranchers do after the drought lifts to ensure the best recovery for their grazing spaces? The following practical strategies can assist your efforts.
Assess the Damage, Measure the Impact
After a drought, the first step in pasture management is to accurately assess the damage. This involves evaluating the extent of forage loss, soil health, and overall pasture condition. Begin by checking the subsoil moisture condition, also known as soil water. Determining the subsoil moisture helps gauge the long-term water reserves in the soil, which is crucial for plants during periods of limited rainfall or drought. Typically, this test is done by satellite monitoring but can also be conducted through a soil sample.
Next, determine your current grazing pressure. How many animal units are grazing, per acre, on pastures affected by the drought? The higher the stocking rate, the more negative impact on forage recovery. It is critical to keep as much yield as possible, not only because of faster forage recovery and root system development, but also the impact on retaining soil water. Cattle weights vary, and depending on your stocking rate, reducing grazing pressure may be key to drought recovery.
Understanding the specific impact on your pasture will help in formulating a targeted recovery plan. Use tools like soil moisture meters and visual inspections to get a clear picture of the damage. Documenting these findings will be beneficial for future reference and for communicating with stakeholders or consultants.
Rest is Required for Recovery
Your pastures have gone through a lot during the time of drought and need proper rest to recover. Resting your pastures can be completed by rotating your pasture grazing more frequently or destocking livestock.
Whether drought conditions exist or not, rotating your grazing spaces is essential to pasture management success. In fact, rotational grazing helps prepare your pastures in advance for drought occurrences.
Rotational grazing offers the following:
- Rest and regrowth to ensure healthy forage
- Minimizes nutrient loss
- Reduces solitary grazing in a particular area, preventing soil compaction
- More forage leaf is available for photosynthesis and root reserves
- Improved soil water increases forage and creates a canopy from sunlight which reduces the amount of water evaporation and soil water loss
Destocking your pastures can also help in times of drought concern. Destocking begins with evaluating your herd and following quality management practices. This may include selling older, or low-performing cows, selling large-frame cows, or weaning calves early.
The above-mentioned practices can help restore balance and maintain your livestock business for years to come.
Soil Fertility: Replenish the Foundation
Soil fertility is the foundation of a healthy pasture. Post-drought, the soil may be depleted of essential nutrients, making it crucial to replenish its fertility. Conduct soil tests to determine nutrient deficiencies and apply appropriate amendments such as lime or commercial fertilizers.
Forage stands that make it through the drought will need nutrients. The nutrients that were once in the forage root system and soil, have now been depleted. This can easily cause the forage roots to be in shallow soil versus deeper soil. Remember, your forage height is your root depth; it's a mirror reflection of one another. If your forage is only two inches in height, your roots are, most likely, only two inches deep. This is not deep enough for soil nutrients.
Post-drought, it is necessary to feed the forage or feed the roots. During times of drought your soil pH can drop 0.3 units, easily turning the soil more acidic. Forages are less likely to thrive in acidic soils. Taking your soil sample and finding what the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels are, is critical. Here are some reminders of what nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contribute to your forages.
- Nitrogen causes forage to green up.
- Phosphorus gets into the roots and supports the forage in energy and nutrient efficiently.
- Potassium helps the overall well-being of the forage.
It is a good idea, when taking your soil samples, to take as many as you can throughout the pasture. A zig-zag pattern is suggested.
Weeds are Nutrient Thieves, Be Prepared
Weeds are often resilient and can thrive even in drought conditions. This makes weed management a critical component of pasture recovery. Regularly monitor your pasture for weed emergence and take early action for control.
Along with your practices of accessing the damage, resting the pastures, and taking proper soil samples so that accurate soil applications can be made, you must prepare for weeds to grow. Soil pH can drop 0.3 units in drought conditions causing the soil to become acidic and allowing weeds to thrive. Weeds such as thistles, horse nettle, tall ironweed, buttercup, plantain, and pigweed will thrive more abundantly due to drought. Additionally, weeds that are highly toxic in nature such as poison hemlock and perilla mint, will become more toxic due to drought stress and the lack of water. Weeds that are not normally considered highly toxic to livestock (i.e. buttercup), can become a problem because of the lack of available forage. Thus, the grazing animal will consume more weeds causing toxic repercussions.
When deciding which herbicide to apply, residual or non-residual, it is recommended to use a residual herbicide. This choice will provide increased broad-spectrum control, along with, length of time in the soil to help prevent weeds from germinating. Using a non-residual only offers you a few weeks' worth of protection. Using a residual herbicide, such as Gunslinger P+D, Gunslinger AMP, or Prescott can offer a half-life control or up to ninety days of weed management. Consult your Alligare Range & Pasture specialist for more information.
Supplementation Solutions
Adding forages as you work through or emerge from drought conditions can be a huge help and relief to your pastures.
The below-mentioned forages provide quick growth to help with grazing and soil coverage.
- forage barley
- oats
- winter wheat
- turnips
- crabgrass
- annual ryegrass
- sorghum
- millet
- legumes
These forages can help your pastures rest and recover while offering quick grazing solutions. Manage plant timing, grazing pressures, and for summer forages such as sorghum varieties, check for nitrate levels. If you plant legumes, depending on variety, plan to place bloat blocks or bloat mineral out for the livestock to assist with any bloat concern.
Continuous Monitoring and Maintenance for Sustainable Recovery
Sustainable pasture recovery requires continuous monitoring and maintenance. Regularly check soil moisture levels, plant health, and overall pasture condition to make timely adjustments to your management practices.
Implementing a long-term pasture management plan that includes rotational grazing, periodic soil testing, and adaptive management strategies will help maintain the health and productivity of the pasture. Keep detailed records of observations and actions taken to provide valuable insights and guide future decisions.
Pay close attention to the supplemental feeding options you offer livestock. Prepare for weeds that will grow and grow aggressively.
Consult your local extension agent or your local Alligare Range & Pasture specialist for further assistance.
