Drought Management Strategies for Producers

Drought Management Strategies

Recurring drought is a natural part of the climate in many areas of Canada, and can create a challenge when managing grazing and forage resources. Although droughts are often unpredictable, they are inevitable in many regions, so long-term farm and ranch management must include planning for and consideration of how drought will affect the entire system, including plants, livestock, and water sources.

Key Takeaways 

• Best practices such as rotational grazing and litter (plant residue) are even more valuable during drought.
• When managing through a drought consider combining groups of animals to encourage grazing of less desirable plants, and grazing pastures with species that are more tolerant of increased grazing pressure (like crested wheatgrass).
• Extended rest periods and increased recovery times are necessary to protect plants during dry periods.
• Feed testing and water testing are especially important during times of drought.
• Drought plans should identify the group or class of livestock to be de-stocked first, if necessary, and at what point each group will be removed if the drought persists.
• It is important to monitor for toxic or poisonous plants, which are more likely to be grazed during dry years, especially when grazing youngstock.
• Drought management strategies should be a permanent part of every grazing plan.

Webinar Recording and Summary: Experiencing Drought Stress? Ask the Experts

Existing Forage Resources

Taking stock of forages is an important first step in making a plan for drought. Knowing what you have for pasture, harvestable forages (or salvaged crops), and grains is the first step to determining if it is necessary to decide whether to buy feed or cull cattle.

When a drought happens, the benefits of a rotational grazing system will be particularly evident as plants need more time to recover when its dry. As grazed plants slow their growth, their ability to restore their root systems slows as well. During a drought, grazing plans should be flexible enough to extend periods of rest, when possible.

One grazing strategy to consider during a drought is combining groups of animals. This will concentrate more animals in a single herd which decreases the number of paddocks/pastures being used at any one time. The result will be extended rest periods for the paddocks that the animals have been removed from. By combining herds, stock density will also be increased, which results in less selectivity by individual animals and more uniform grazing. If you have a small herd, another way to increase stock density is by reducing pasture (or paddock) size. As selectivity is reduced, animals will consume less-preferred plants. This leads to a greater variety of plant types being consumed as compared to more typical grazing behavior. As animals consume the less-preferred plants, grazing pressure on the more desirable plants is reduced. Less severe grazing and increased recovery time protects more desirable plants from overuse during the dry period. It is always important to remember that grazing management decisions must continue to balance overall animal demand with total forage supply, including appropriate levels of utilization, and that timing of grazing and frequency must provide adequate rest and recovery. 

As much as possible, management should be focused on leaving litter (plant residue) behind to provide shade and insulation to the soil surface, reducing soil temperatures and minimizing moisture loss through evaporation. When moisture is scarce, forage stands with adequate litter reserves will produce more forage than those with less litter. Litter is also critical when rain does occur in order to catch rain drops and prevent moisture loss through runoff, evaporation, and erosion. Overgrazing stressed pastures also allows for weed encroachment and increases the risk of winterkill for some desirable plant species.

Accessing Additional Forage – Crops and Alternative Feeds

Seeding annuals as an emergency source of forage to supplement perennial pastures may be an option during periods of drought. Spring-seeded winter annuals will remain vegetative throughout the summer and will respond with growth to any rain showers that do occur. Cereals can be grazed approximately four to six weeks after seeding and can be stocked heavily to use all available growth. If utilizing cereals during a drought be sure to feed test. Nitrate accumulation can be an issue in drought stressed cereals, so make sure to include testing for nitrates with your feed test. It is important to choose a test that supplies you with the actual nitrate amount rather than a “yes/no” answer as this can help you manage feeds going forward.

Annuals, such as oats, barley and fall rye, can be seeded in late summer to provide fall grazing, if moisture levels return. Oats have the fastest growth and are tolerant to frost but may accumulate nitrates. Fall rye is very tolerant to frost and has a good regrowth. This crop can also be grazed early the following spring. Bin-run seed should be checked for germination prior to planting and assessed for weed seed contamination.

Supplemental Feeding 

Supplemental feed on pasture can be used to augment low quality or limited forage. This will mean moving animals onto a “sacrifice” pasture. Livestock will typically preferentially keep grazing, continuing to defoliate and weaken plants rather than accepting the supplemental feed on offer. However, grazing pressure on forage species which are comparably more grazing tolerant, such as meadow bromegrass or orchard grass, may be a preferred option, allowing other areas to rest and recover.

Herd Management

Often the best alternative for drought management is to reduce total forage requirements. Decreasing stocking rates during drought provides benefits in terms of improved animal performance, reduced supplemental and winter-feeding costs, minimized damage to pastures, and enhanced recovery following drought.

It is important to have a drought plan in place that identifies which group or class of livestock will be de-stocked first, if necessary. Reducing livestock numbers to match available forage supply may include:

• sending animals to rented pastures in other locations where moisture and forage production has not been impacted by drought;
• calves and/or cows may be removed from pasture and fed conserved forages, crop residues and/or grain in confinement (known as drylotting);
• yearlings may be marketed earlier than originally planned;
• calves may be weaned early. Dry cows can then be maintained on lower quality pastures or with supplemental feed sources;
• consider limiting retention of replacement heifers;
• the cow herd may be culled earlier and more heavily than normal including less productive cows, late calvers, poor temperament, and older cattle.

Water Sources

Sources of water for grazing animals can quickly become limited or unavailable during drought periods. From a proactive management perspective, it is recommended that any pastures that could possibly run out of water be grazed first. In some cases, and where possible, it may become necessary to use a portable stock water supply in order to continue grazing a forage source where water has become limiting.

Winter Feeding After a Drought

Because feed supplies are limited during a drought the summer’s lack of moisture can result in issues in the fall and winter. When planning for winter feeding after a drought year recognize that cattle may have to go out on winter grazing pastures sooner than intended meaning a back up plan is needed for what will happen when cattle are out of feed. Impaction and pneumonia can also become issues following drought years. If producers feed and winter cattle indoors, feed should be tested and “budgeted” in late fall to identify the best quality feed and the most effective time during the winter to feed out based on animal groups and nutrient requirements.

Preparing for a Drought Before it Happens

Despite the fact that drought is a relatively common occurrence in many regions, too often management plans are based on ideal growing conditions. This approach magnifies problems when drought does occur. Drought management strategies should be a permanent part of every grazing plan – you can’t plan for a drought once you are in the middle of it.

The bottom line is that drought causes economic challenges for producers and all management decisions must be centered on the financial implications of those choices, both in the immediate and long-term. Any additional costs, such as renting pasture or water developments, are an investment however calculating the return on those drought mitigation investments is essential. Producers need to balance providing for the needs of their animals when pasture and feed supplies are lacking while keeping production costs manageable.

For more information and to access the webinar, click here. 

Original article taken from the Beef Cattle Research Council