Grazing management in drought conditions

As the first signs of fall begin to show up in cooler mornings, fall blooms and shortening days, Holmes County is, for the second straight year, looking at heading into fall under drought conditions. U.S. Drought Monitor (droughtmonitor.unl.edu) has identified portions of Holmes and surrounding counties as abnormally dry and portions as moderate drought.

These conditions present many challenges for farmers who manage grazing operations. If pastures are overgrazed during this time, the effects can be carried over into the following spring and summer, further setting back productivity and yields of pasture.

However, there are a number of ways that producers may manage these conditions to help protect pasture conditions. One option is to designate a single paddock or smaller section of pasture as a sacrifice area and feed hay. This prevents causing damage across the entire farm, but the sacrifice area will sustain significant damage and will need to be reseeded come spring.

Even with a high-quality seeding, sacrifice areas may take multiple years to recover. Because of this, these areas should be rotated to a different location each year, and sites need to be selected on well-drained soils located away from any streams, ponds or drainage paths. While sacrifice areas can be used effectively, they still cause significant damage and require working in muddy conditions throughout much of the winter.

Hay bales also can be fed to livestock using other methods. Unrolling round bales works well in dry conditions. Bales can be hauled regularly or preset and unrolled, especially on sloped fields. Feeding bales in this way also wastes a significant amount of hay to trampling, making it a good option for feeding lower-quality hay when weather and soil conditions are right. Additionally, locations should be rotated annually to spread nutrients and organic matter to different pastures.

Many operations have found the best way to maintain pasture conditions is to avoid having livestock on pasture during drought conditions. In these cases a heavy-use pad, constructed of either gravel or concrete, is one option to provide a solid, dry location for feeding livestock. These pads also can be roofed to prevent runoff of manure-contaminated water.

Alternatively, a pen pack barn stores manure underfoot by accumulating up to a 2-foot layer of manure and bedding in the area where livestock are housed. A heavy-use pad or pen pack barn is a significant financial investment for most operations and may require additional practices such as water troughs, water pipeline, roofs, gutters and even separate manure storage facilities.

At this point in the year, constructing this type of facility is likely out of the question for most operations to have something functional in the coming months. But for those who already have these facilities, it is often the best method to protect pasture resources.

Regardless of the management planned, the primary consideration is to prevent causing additional damage to forages. If there are some things you’d like to address on your own farm, the local Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service are always available to provide technical assistance and conservation planning customized to your operation.

Additionally, cost-share programs are available that may be able to provide financial assistance to implement or construct the systems discussed here. You can reach Holmes SWCD and NRCS by calling 330-674-2811 ext. 3.

Josh Britton is a district conservationist.