Drought is a possibility in all climates and environments, and is especially poignant this year with the western third of the country gripped in a major drought. But drought pressure on pastures and ranges can be mitigated, said Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist, in a letter to Extension agents called Cow/Calf Corner.
FLEXIBLE STOCKING
Flexible stocking is a drought-prep strategy used for hundreds of years, that seems to have gone out of favor over the last few decades, Beck said. If 25% to 30% of the ranch is dedicated to retained or purchased stocker calves or retaining high quality heifers for resale each year, profitability of the ranch can be improved during the good years by adding value to the calves; but when drought occurs these calves are sold easily.
That allows the cow herd to be spread over more acres and will keep drastic culling and herd liquidation at bay, he said.
Grazing management is always a good idea, one of the benefits of rotational grazing is to give the most preferred plants in a pasture rest and recovery from grazing, Beck said. As preferred plants are repeatedly grazed root growth can be stunted, negatively affecting top growth. This decreases the forage plant’s ability to reach water and reduces competitiveness with deeper rooted weeds.
Also, there is reduced surface residue which decreases water infiltration and increases soil surface temperature, he said. Overgrazed pastures are at more risk during a drought and in severely overgrazed pastures drought situations may be caused as much by poor grazing management as the weather conditions.
FERTILIZATION HELPS SOME GRASSES
In introduced forage species like bermudagrass, tall fescue or old-world bluestems, fertilization improves water efficiency, Beck said. Experiments have shown that stocker calf growth rates were better for fertilized pastures in normal and drought years.
Forage management for drought proofing a ranch depends on managing competition, grazing time, and rest, he said. Stocking rates should be maintained at low to moderate grazing intensity. This leaves surface residue to increase water infiltration when it rains.
Using managed rotational grazing can improve root health by providing rest for grazed plant, improving root health and speeding recovery from grazing and drought, Beck said. Weed control helps reduce competition for fertilizer and water resources from weeds and is beneficial for recovery by desired species.
It is not something that can be done when things go south, Beck said. These measures need to be in place and implemented before conditions deteriorate.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
Fed cattle traded last week at $120 to $127.50 per cwt, up $1 to $4.50 from the previous week. Dressed-basis trades were done at $196 to $198 per cwt, steady to up $2.
The USDA choice cutout Tuesday was up $5.52 per cwt at $305.32, while select was up $3.80 at $284.61. The choice/select spread widened to $20.71 from $18.99 with 80 loads of fabricated product and 48 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA reported Tuesday that basis bids for corn from livestock feeding operations in the Southern Plains were unchanged at $1.90 to $2.00 a bushel over the Sep futures and for southwest Kansas were unchanged at $0.70 over Sep, which settled at $5.49 1/4 a bushel, unchanged.
There were 34 heifer and six steer live cattle contracts tendered for delivery Tuesday.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Monday was $156.33 per cwt up $0.03. This compares with Tuesday’s Aug contract settlement of $159.32 per cwt, up $0.02.