Should S.D. Beef Producers Be Thinking About Drought Trigger Dates?

 

 

 

Many parts of South Dakota have experienced warmer and drier than normal conditions since last fall, although other areas have not. Despite overall dryness, occasional precipitation events have kept most producers from becoming overly concerned about drought. Over most of the last two months, the U.S. Drought Monitor has shown normal conditions in South Dakota except for areas of short-term, abnormal dryness in the Black Hills and the extreme Northeast corner of the state. However, as a result of above normal temperatures in June, this area of abnormal dryness has expanded to include most of West River and a larger area of Northeast South Dakota. The Black Hills have deteriorated into areas of moderate to severe drought.

 

 

Research clearly shows that nearly all of the forage production on cool-season dominated rangelands in South Dakota is complete by the end of June. Thus, forage supply for the current growing season has already accumulated. Additional precipitation received for the rest of the summer will only marginally influence pasture feed supply. Some locations were also affected by an unseasonably late killing frost. Vegetation that had accumulated before the freeze was essentially lost and will not be compensated for by later growth.

 

 

If it has been abnormally dry where you operate, forage production has been proportionately reduced. It is time to evaluate where your operation is in terms of forage produced and make appropriate plans to manage forage demand in order to match currently available supply.

 

A good drought management plan has trigger dates that outline actions to be taken based on weather conditions and forage production. Two frequently used trigger dates have already passed. First, an early spring trigger is based on soil moisture and winter precipitation. A second trigger date would have been mid-spring as livestock were turned out to summer pasture. Across most of South Dakota, spring conditions were likely not dry enough to trigger any drought decisions at those times. However, as we move into late June and the end of the window for cool-season vegetation growth in the Northern Plains, we are now at an important trigger date.