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Posted 19 December 2006. Forage and Grazinglands. Managing Winter Pastures During Drought South Dakota State University. www.sdstate.edu Brookings, South Dakota (November 29, 2006)--With harvested forages in short supply in some areas, many South Dakota ranchers may graze drought-stricken pastures and rangelands this winter to stretch feed supplies.
A South Dakota State University specialist said grazing during the winter, even during drought, is an excellent way to extend the grazing season and reduce the reliance on harvested forages. However, winter grazing strategies must be adjusted this year to compensate for the lack of moisture in the soil profile. “The primary concern associated with winter grazing during severe drought revolves around winter stocking rate,” SDSU Extension Range Livestock Production Specialist Eric Mousel said. “In normal years, winter-grazed pastures and rangeland should be stocked at the recommended rate for your area. In drought years, it is recommended to use a more conservative stocking rate, which can be tricky since pastures were likely grazed off during the summer grazing season.” Contrary to popular belief, slicking winter pastures off to the ground, even during winter, is not an advisable management strategy, Mousel said – and this becomes even more important during drought. Plants need some residual material left at the surface for insulation from cold, dry air that will wick any available moisture out of the soil. When vegetation is not well insulated there can be significant winterkill of overused plants species. Overgrazing winter pastures can also lead to significant erosion problems and lack of effective precipitation. With little residual vegetation left at the soil surface, wind erosion can be a challenge over the winter, especially if snow cover is limited. Also, runoff from heavy spring rainfall will increase as the amount of residual vegetation cover decreases, with the result that less moisture from these spring rains actually soaks into the soil for plant use. As general rule, plan on leaving at least 50 percent (by weight) of the total vegetation as residual this winter to protect next year’s grass crop. “Fifty percent may sound like a lot, especially in the face of a potential feed shortage, but that’s only about 2 to 3 inches of stubble height on most West River rangeland and 4 to 5 inches on most East River pastures,” Mousel said. “Before turning cattle out this winter, make sure your pastures weren’t already used up this summer.” Contact: |
