Drought Management

You can’t control the weather, but you can control your pasture management plan.

Jump to: Drought Insights Pasture Strategies Rancher Resources Stay Informed

Drought Insights

Drought recovery takes time – and rainfall. Be ready to maximize every drop.

Improve drought readiness

These strategies can help ranchers build drought-resistant pastures and minimize long-term damage.

Protect your grazing land

Speed drought recovery

Give your grass a fighting chance against harmful weeds and brush.

Limit weed competition

Managing Cattle Operations Through Drought

Focusing on pasture readiness, adapting management strategies and maintaining an optimistic outlook can help producers until the next rain comes.

Pasture Strategies

Drought forces difficult decisions, but cattle producers must have grass to maintain a sustainable beef operation. A proactive approach can help ranchers ensure pastures recover and quickly return to productivity.

Reducing stocking rates, moving cattle more frequently and extending pasture rest periods can help protect against overgrazing and deteriorating root reserves.

The return of moisture can bring optimism, but don’t be deceived. Plants that look healthy often still have a shallow root system. Grazing too early prevents root reserves from rebuilding, leading to weaker, thinner plant stands.

Breaking larger pastures into two or more smaller parcels offers significant benefits year-round, regardless of moisture levels.

Aside from improving forage utilization, crossfencing allows tighter grazing management. The ability to remove cattle from a pasture before overgrazing occurs can buy time early in the drought cycle, which allows ranchers to be more strategic in their decision-making.

Like grass, weeds thrive on moisture. Monitor bare patches in the pasture, as weeds are likely to invade those areas first. It’s critical to ensure that every drop of moisture contributes to grass growth instead of weeds.

Limit competitive plants that aren’t providing forage value by using a broad-spectrum herbicide with residual control such as DuraCor^® herbicide. The residual activity helps keep weeds out and allow desirable grasses to reclaim bare spots.

Proper fertility also is critical for reestablishing grasses. UltiGraz^SM Pasture Weed & Feed combines weed control and fertilizer in one cost-effective application.

Rancher Resources

A proactive approach benefits grazing acres both during periods of adequate moisture and when conditions turn dry.

Weather patterns

Mitigate La Nina’s impact on grazing land

Get 3 tips

Drought recovery

3 ways to make the most of winter moisture

Learn more

Brush control

Improve forage production with Sendero® herbicide Powered by LandVisor®

Control mesquite

Product details

Solutions to fit your pasture needs

Get details

Seasonal guide

The pasture improvement calendar

Your to-do-list

One Pass. Better Grass℠

Streamline pasture care with UltiGraz℠ Pasture Weed & Feed

Find out how

Harvested Forage

Cut it Right; Store it Right: Considerations for harvesting and storing hay

Grow high-quality hay

Stay Connected With Us

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Find Your Local R&P Specialist

Connect with Range & Pasture:

Find Your Local R&P Specialist

Under normal field conditions, DuraCor® is nonvolatile. DuraCor has no grazing or haying restrictions for any class of livestock, including lactating dairy cows, horses (including lactating mares) and meat animals prior to slaughter. Label precautions apply to forage treated with DuraCor and to manure and urine from animals that have consumed treated forage. Consult the label for full details. DuraCor and Sendero® are not registered for sale or use in all states. UltiGraz℠ with fertilizer is available for use with specific herbicides in the states of AL, AR, CO, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NV, OK, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WV and WY. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.

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