Drought Planning Helps Ranchers Protect Forage Supplies

By Scout Nelson

Many livestock producers are experiencing forage shortages as drought and cool spring weather reduce pasture and hay production. Limited rainfall during the main growing season has slowed forage growth, making it necessary for ranchers to plan carefully for livestock feed during the coming months.

North Dakota State University reported that 8.79% of the state is experiencing some level of drought, while 23.41% remains abnormally dry. Extension specialists explained that North Dakota grasslands are mainly made up of cool-season grasses, with about 80% of annual forage growth depending on precipitation received from April through June. Unfortunately, only a few locations received normal or above-normal rainfall during that period.

Even areas with adequate rainfall may still experience lower forage production because much of the precipitation arrived after grasses reached the seedhead stage. Once grasses mature, they produce very little additional growth. However, fields grazed earlier while grasses remained in the vegetative stage may still benefit from recent rainfall and produce some regrowth.

Ranchers with tame grass pastures or hay land should expect at least a 25% reduction in forage production statewide.

"In the southwest, southeast and west-central regions, tame grass production will be 50% at best," says Miranda Meehan, NDSU Extension livestock environmental stewardship specialist and disaster education coordinator.

Native rangeland may perform slightly better because some grass species remained in the vegetative stage. Producers should expect about 70% to 80% of normal forage production on many native pastures, while the southwest, west-central, and possibly southeast regions may receive only 50% of normal production.

Reduced forage growth may shorten the grazing season to mid- to late-summer unless producers reduce herd size or provide additional feed.

"If you have a rotational grazing system in place, this negative impact could be much less," says Kevin Sedivec, NDSU Extension rangeland management specialist.

For more information on feeding livestock drought-stressed forages, refer to the NDSU Extension publication “Managing Stressed or Damaged Crops for Livestock Feed” (ndsu.ag/stressed-crops26).

Extension specialists recommend planting warm-season annual forages for hay, including foxtail millet, with Siberian millet suggested for western areas and German millet for central and eastern North Dakota. Sudangrass and sorghum-sudangrass are additional options, although drought conditions increase the risk of prussic acid toxicity.

"This will increase the chance of establishment and reduce the overall risk of a total failed crop," says Sedivec. "A diverse cover crop will also have the potential to produce a higher-quality forage with lower risk of toxicity."

Photo Credit: gettyimages-r-j-seymour