Drought is one of those things that every cattle producer will have to deal with at some point. It ranks right up there with Death and Taxes. Like those two, though it is unavoidable, it is also something that most producers need to prepare for.
But what is drought? Drought is simply a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period and is part of normal climate variability. The duration of drought can vary widely from just a matter of weeks to months or even years. Although hurricanes and tornadoes are more dramatic, droughts are among the most costly weather-related events.
Since these are slow-moving and don’t usually involve direct property damage, we tend to underestimate the effects of drought. As I mentioned above, minimizing the results is the wrong way to look at it. A study by FEMA in 1995 concluded that droughts cost the United States an average of $6 to $8 billion per year.
Now that I have gotten you good and scared, sorry about that by the way, you may be asking yourself, “How can I mitigate the effects that drought will have on my place?“. Well, fear not, I have five tips here that you can follow to make the economic impact more bearable for you.
Tip #1: Monitor your cattle’s drinking water source
Surface water is often the primary water source for cattle in the pasture. Since it is a water source, that means if the weather is dry enough, it can dry it up. The water source drying up can be remedied if a live water tape is near your fill tanks. If you do not have a live tap, then moving cattle out of the pasture or hauling water is your only option for the short term.
If you think hauling water will be fine, let me warn you against that. Remember that a cow will drink 20 gallons, and calves will drink 5 to 8 gallons daily. I don’t know about you, but that is a lot of water that will need to be hauled, and to top it off, you can keep it from running out. A cow can go a couple of days without water which is not the issue here. The problem comes in trampled calves at the tanks when you start dumping fresh water. If you are hauling water, you will need to do it before the naturally supplied water runs out. Supplying water before it runs out allows the cows to establish their pecking order before it becomes a dire situation.
Even though the old pond has dried up, cows will continue returning to it. Their returning is usually bad for the calves because they can get bogged down in the silt at the bottom of the pond bed when you have established a new water supply fence off the old water to keep the cattle out of the silt bed.
Tip #2: Creep-feed calves in drought conditions
Creep-feeding calves could be a grass-saver for some operations out there. However, feed is expensive currently and doesn’t look to be going down anytime soon. It may be the only option before you start carving your herd for culls. Keeping calves on a low to moderate energy creep will reduce grass intake by as much as 20%.
I have a few articles on the benefits and issues with creep feeding if you want to learn more. If you are considering putting some creep feed out, the University of Nebraska has a guide for information on possible feed formulations.
Tip#3: Cull cows now
Depending on when you are in the growing season, any rain we get may not be able to restore forages to normal that year. Do not get me wrong, rain always helps, but your grass yields will still suffer tremendously.
So if you are planning on culling, here are some thoughts for you:
- Do not wait till you are out of the grass. Most herds can be kept intact if 10% to 25% of the herd is sold off. If you have something, you can feed them till fall. That is fine, though most people are not able to. It may not be very profitable to do so.
- If you breed early, preg-check your cows and sell the open and late-bred ones. There is no reason to keep feeding the cows that are the least profitable in your herd.
- Sell your oldest cows first. Selling the old cows may be challenging because the old cow may still be a decent cow. However, they are the least valuable to your remaining herd though. If you do not have many older cows, cut into the more senior run of the running age next (6 to 8-year-olds). If you still need to trim some more, consider selling some of your replacement heifers. Culling the old and young ones will leave you a core group of your most valuable cows (3 to 6 years old).
- Selling pairs or bred pairs is a slight possibility this summer. Though things may change, the current drought currently extends to over 75% of cow country. The large drought area means few producers want to add more mouths to feed. Early weaning of your calves might be the way to go.
Tip #4: Wean your calves early during the drought
Early weaning of calves is one way to lighten the load on your remaining grass. This practice has been shown to reduce the grass intake of cows by about 25%. Calves can be successfully weaned at around 90 days of age and started on feed reasonably quickly. Early weaning can be successfully done if they have been fed creep-feed before weaning. Nutrition is the critical component of a successful early weaning program.
Other significant considerations for early weaning include:
- They are performing standard vaccinations before weaning.
- They control dust to keep dust pneumonia in check.
- Adequate fly control.
Manage heat stress in calves as much as possible by giving them shade and plenty of clean water. If you want to learn ways to manage early-weaned calves, check out my previous article, “3 Ways to Manage early weaned Calves”.
Tip #5: Control flies and other pests
Pest control is more critical during a drought. Cows and calves are hounded constantly by biting flies, face flies, mosquitoes, and ticks in the pasture. Periods of dry weather tend to make these worse. Cattle use a lot of energy fighting flies. They also will tend to bunch up, which causes heat stress to worsen. Provide relief to your cattle by using dust bags, oilers, rubs, and/or fly tags. Whichever you use, make sure to keep them fresh and current.
