Livestock managers in the Pacific Northwest are used to encountering a drought every few years, sometimes several years in a row. How to mitigate the impact of drought differs with the individual and the situation. A person’s approach will depend on location, what resources are available and other factors. Experienced graziers have developed their own ways to handle drought, but the less experienced will be looking for wisdom from their peers.

Most of those with irrigated pastures must get by with less water this year due to much smaller snowpacks. All of us are dealing with less rain and higher plant respiration due to the more extreme heat. Rangeland managers are dealing with both heat stressed forage plants and smaller supplies of livestock drinking water.

Drought can be a one-two punch in that it not only reduces the current year’s plant growth, but also can result in lower production the following year. So the way the forage plants are managed during a drought can affect the plants’ ability to thrive in subsequent years. Moisture stressed plants will not recover from grazing as well or as rapidly as a healthy plant. That is why it is critical to keep plant tissue removal at more moderate levels and protect the plant’s crown. The crown is the plant’s source of reserves for recovery.

To avoid overuse and reduce plant stress, it may be necessary to reduce the number of animals grazing the pasture. Often producers will reduce their herd or flock size to lower grazing pressure. Only the more productive animals should be kept in a time of less forage. This is a good time to look at livestock production records and be very selective.

Some producers seek alternative feeds to replace the reduced amount of forage. Alternative feeds are usually more abundant in irrigated cropping areas, but they may be less available due to shortened irrigation seasons.

By-products and crop residues may be a source of feed to help get livestock through times of shorter grazing periods. Ruminants can make use of products from grass seed production, such as grass straw. They can also benefit from pelleted residues, cereal straw, corn stalks, pea-vine hay and other byproducts from crop production. Grass hay, oat hay and off-quality alfalfa are also useful when fed properly. They are normally available at lower prices than higher quality hay.

When feeding any type of hay or plant residue, it is important to have the feed tested to determine its quality and nutrient content. The testing can be done at any forage-testing laboratory for a nominal fee. The information from the testing allows the livestock manager to know what and how much supplementation is needed to provide a proper diet for the animals in question.

Proper planning and management allow an operator to better prepare for droughts. In fact, the wise manager will develop a grazing plan at the beginning of each year with three different scenarios: What will I do in case of (1) a wetter than normal year, (2) a normal year, and (3) a drier than normal year? Once the moisture situation is known, the appropriate plan can be implemented.

Even though we can’t control the weather, having a well-developed grazing plan helps the manager be better prepared to deal with drought and other management challenges.