Ranch Management and Production during Drought


 
Drought Strategies for Feeding Cattle Grazing Annual Grasslands

This UC publication provides information to help producers manage the supplementation of cattle during drought years.



Supplemental Feeds for Cattle Operations during Drought

This UC Publication explores livestock nutritional values of California Agricultural byproducts such as rice straw, almond hulls and more.


 

Rangelands Special Issue - Drought on Rangelands: Effects and Solutions

This special issue of Rangelands highlights current research on enhancing adaptive management for drought on rangelands.


 
Livestock Management during Drought

This UC publication provides recommendations for range management, supplemental feeding, and livestock management during drought conditions in California that you may want to consider.



Managing Irrigated Pasture during Drought

This UC publication addresses water availability and drought management for cool season grass pastures in Northern California, as well as discusses the adaptive measures producers can take to sustain pasture productivity both before and after drought.



Drought Strategies for Beef Cattle Culling

Culling cattle is the most direct method of reducing forage consumption on drought-stricken rangeland. This UC publication provides information on strategic culling, which requires the ability to navigate the current year's challenges while considering the necessity of rebuilding cattle numbers in the future.


 

Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch

This extensive guide can help rangeland managers better prepare for, understand, and manage drought risk (worksheets included!). This work was a project of the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, South Dakota State University, and Texas A&M Kingsville.


Top 10 Drought Management Tips for Ranchers

This brief fact sheet by South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service and USDA highlights ten considerations for ranchers to prepare for and/or respond to drought.




Drought Management Strategies for Beef Cattle

This comprehensive guide from the Cooperative Extension System's Cow-Calf Management Library can aid in objective decision making for drought preparation.



Evaluating a Early Weaning Drought Management Strategy

Early weaning can be a useful tool to manage forage supply during a drought while minimizing the need to feed high energy rations or dramatically liquidate cattle. This publication outlines potential scenarios and considerations.



A Drought-Planning Methodology for Ranchers in the Great Plains

The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln worked with ranchers and advisors to develop a drought-planning methodology for ranch operations in the Great Plains. This publication provides step-by-step information based on rancher experiences.