ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Continuing drought in Northwest Iowa is forcing producers to alter their grazing plans. Fortunately, they have “detours.”
“Top of the list is reduce stocking rate,” said Beth Doran, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “Early weaning calves is a proven method to reduce the energy requirement of the cow by 25-30 percent and lighten the grazing pressure on the pasture. Early weaning is more effective than supplemental creep feeding when forage production is short.”
But Doran adds this is only part of the equation. If pasture is very short, producers may still be forced to remove a portion of the cows from the pasture or provide supplemental feed such as green-chopped corn or distillers grains.
“Assuming drought continues, consider placing all of the cows in a ‘sacrifice’ pasture,” Doran said. “It’s cheaper to renovate one pasture next year than all of the pastures.”
Rotational grazing can help sustain pasture production, but increased recovery time between rotations is key during drought. This helps maintain the leaf which is the plant’s solar factory and increases root development allowing for increased uptake of nutrients and moisture.
Doran reminds producers that cool season grasses – bromegrass, orchard grass and timothy – should never be grazed shorter than four inches to allow plant regrowth, and during drought, recovery may take 30-40 days. For warm season grasses, recovery time approximates 35-45 days.
Producers are also cautioned to monitor the growth of blue-green algae in streams and ponds. Blue-green algae produces toxins that affect the nervous system and liver of the animal and can be deadly if consumed. Consequently, producers will need to provide clean water from another source. The algae may appear as a pale green scum on top of the water and cobalt-blue around the edges.
Producers needing supplemental feed are reminded to check with their crop insurance agent before harvesting corn for green-chop or silage.
Farm Service Agency (FSA) also has assistance programs that may be available in the county such as emergency loans, the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, and grazing or haying of CRP acres. Drought affected producers are advised to check with FSA to determine eligibility and complete an application.