How to Protect Profit During Drought

How to Protect Profit During Drought

Drought strains natural resources, mental capacity and profits from cattlemen and women. Knowing how to act during a drought and better yet how to prepare for droughts lessen the strain across the board.

Devlon Ford, regenerative ranching advisor with the Noble Research Institute.

Assessing for Drought

Tracking rainfall and assessing forage during regular pasture checks are the first steps to identifying when drought is present and to what degree it exists.

“Typically, we focus on the cattle when checking pastures, because that’s where we feel the money is,” says Ford. “People sometimes fail to look down and see the forage and soil.”

When analyzing what’s beneath the feet, take note of which forages are present, if they are browning earlier than normal as well as how much forage mass is available. Cattle will also show signs of drought stress in their manure.

Ford explains, “Look at the manure of those animals…If it's starting to get pretty dry and clumpy, that means the protein level is going down in those forages.”

Lack of moisture impacts the plant’s ability to provide a normal level of nutrients to cattle.

Active Drought Actions and Options...



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