Page 9 - MWC 9-15-2022s2

The Midwest Cattleman · September 15, 2022 · P9
STRATEGIES FOR DROUGHT MANAGEMENT ON PASTURES By Greg

Henderson
During a drought, little to reduce stocking during a
can be done to increase for- drought accelerates financial
age pasture growth. Prop- losses of the livestock produc-
er management, however, tion enterprise.
can minimize impacts when — Grazing management:
drought does occur, according Lack of moisture suppress-
to a Texas A&M AgriLife Ex- es plant growth and retards
tension Service forage special- root development. Allow 6-8
ist and Texas A&M AgriLife inches of new growth before
Research agronomist. allowing livestock to graze. A
Vanessa Corriher-Olson,
Ph.D., Overton, and Jamie continued on page 15
Foster, Ph.D., Beeville, said
careful management early in
a drought can minimize long-
term stand damage and help
maintain forage yields when
rains do come.
If pastures are managed
properly during times of
low moisture, the effects of
drought will be less severe
and pastures will rebound
faster when precipitation is
sufficient, they said. Manage-
ment practices that minimize
damage to pastures during
drought are also the same for
maintaining healthy pastures
in a normal year.
Pasture management
practices and guidelines
Corriher-Olson and Fos-
ter outlined some key areas
where proper management
can make a difference.
— Managing livestock: Re-
duce stocking rates if forage
supplies are limited. First,
cull cows that are old, open,
in poor condition or have poor
disposition. A veterinarian
can palpate cows for pregnan-
cy and check for health prob-
lems that warrant elimina-
tion from the herd. Cows that
are not pregnant are difficult
to justify feeding expensive
hay or grazing. Moving cattle
to leased grazing lands where
forage is available is an option
to relieve stressed pastures
without selling off a portion of
the herd.
Another option is early
weaning and sale of calves.
This reduces the stocking
pressure and the nutrient re-
quirement of the cows — re-
ducing forage intake by 20%
— because the heavy nutri-
ent demand of lactation is
stopped. The longer decisions
to decrease livestock numbers
are delayed, the sooner the
forage supply will be exhaust-
ed. Delaying the decision