When you can't control the weather

Managing Grazing for Drought

By Patrick Toomey | SFA Grazing Education Lead

On Wednesday, June 2nd, 75% of the state of Minnesota was in some level of drought. That sounds scary, but of that, 61% is listed as D0-Abnormally Dry and 13% D1-Moderate Drought. These ratings show that we are either one wet week away from being out of drought or one hot and windy week from spiralling deeper into it. Farmers typically live and die by the weather, but it doesn’t need to be that way. We can’t control the weather, but we can control the management of our resources and plan for drought early and revisit the plan often. Here are some strategies to work your way through drought while protecting your land resources and bottom line.

Maintain Appropriate Stocking Rates

This cannot be stressed enough. If we have more animals on the landscape than it can handle, we are already starting at a deficit. By maintaining an appropriate stocking rate for the land resources, we have more management tools in our toolbox to work with than just buying more hay. This does not mean we are capped at a certain number of animals for the farm. There are many ways we can be flexible with animal numbers while still respecting the resource. An example of this is having separate herds early in the season based on cohort.

A common split seen on large ranches in some regions is to have separate first-time breeders and potential cull animals and the main breeding herd. Come the last frost and start of the growing season (let's say May 15th) we can judge whether we have had enough moisture to maintain that larger herd. If we don't, we already have a group split off that can go off-farm and be worked once. These animals do not need to be sold off farm or put into a feed lot. 

A lot of young farmers are turning towards custom grazing to get their feet wet in the ranching world. Using the example above, a producer could sell the yearling steers and lease the heifers to a custom grazer. This decreases stress on the resource base while still maintaining the herd at a viable level. This same approach can be used to enter different markets during different times of the year, such as selling grass fats instead of feeders, bred heifers instead of opens, etc. Resources such as the Midwest Grazing Exchange can help connect those that have extra cattle with those that have grass.

Time Herd Moves with Grass Growth

Throughout my career in ranch management, the adage “fast growth, move fast; slow growth, move slow,” has yet to fail me. Most grazers I have met know the estimate for the number of days a specific paddock will hold their herd. This average number is a great starting point, but should not be the goal every time we try to move cows. Whenever I get ready to move cattle, I first look at the pasture ahead to ensure it is ready for grazing. I then go to a paddock or two behind the herd to see how my recovery is looking. If that recovery is looking great, I will move the cattle, regardless of whether I am getting to my day number I have planned. That fast growth period is when we should be getting animals moved quickly to nip the tips and activate compensatory growth.

If it looks like the recovery has stalled out, I’ll hold the herd for several more days. There is a good chance we begin overgrazing plants in the current paddock, but those extra days give everything else a few more days to recover that can extend your season to better times.

Here is an example: A 10-paddock system at 5 days/paddock will give us 45 days of recovery during a normal season. If we get dry and increase that to 7 days/paddock, we get 63 days of recovery. That extra 18 days could feasibly get us out of the doldrums and into some rain. Additionally, the likelihood of the pasture resources recovering fully is significantly higher with a longer recovery period than a shorter one in dry conditions. Now keep in mind that these scenarios work when we are appropriately stocked.

Use of Annual Forages to Fill in Forage Chain

A forage chain is simply a term used to describe utilizing different forage resources to build out your grazing calendar for the year. Some of you may strategically plant annuals, graze warm season natives, or scavenge crop residues to fill in gaps when pasture productivity slows, specifically late summer and/or early spring/summer.

Take this year as an example of how: we had decent moisture in April and May, but we did not come out of frosts until the end of May and the perennial forage in central MN was easily 3 weeks behind the forage at the SD/MN/IA tristate area. Overwintering grain crops (like winter wheat, cereal rye, or winter triticale) could help get animals out on forage and give our perennial pastures the time they need to get going for the year. 

This same principle applies for the summer slump on our cool season pastures. When our wheatgrass, fescues, and bromes are struggling, millets and sorghums will be thriving. 

Drought doesn't just affect our perennial pasture. Cash crops can fail or be hit hard enough that harvesting isn't fiscally possible. Despite losing the cash crop, this can present opportunities to grazers to extend their seasons and help their neighbors by providing value to a failed crop. This strategy does not only apply to droughts. Hail-damaged crops and prevent plant scenarios can also create opportunities for us to build relationships with our neighbors and other farmers.

Use the Market to Your Advantage

Destocking the ranch due to drought can have a devastating effect on cattle markets. With so many cows being brought into the market,  prices tend to drop and returns are lower. This is expected and it is pretty well established. However, for every door that closes there's another that opens. If we are forced to sell during hard times, or even if we are managing well and don't have to, there can be ways to increase your herd value. By taking out the animals that don't fit your system for whatever reason (too big, too small, looks at your wife funny) and replacing them with animals that do fit your system, at a drought discount, you can come out ahead during poor conditions. 

In my experience, drought is more normal than normal. We can either plan for that inevitability and manage our way through it, or be surprised by it and make snap decisions that could drastically alter the paths of our farms.

If you would like to discuss issues pertaining to your grazing management and how to become more drought resilient, reach out to Patrick Toomey for more information. Additionally, SFA’s Farmer-to-Farmer Consulting Program is always open enrollment and accepting applications here.