As dry conditions persist, livestock producers in the Northern Plains are preparing for those drought conditions as spring turnout nears. NDSU Extension rangeland and forage specialist Kevin Sedivec encourages those producers concerned about drought to start thinking about annual forage options early. “If you do need hay, grazing forage or both, you need to assess your cropland availability. Do you have availability for fence or temporary fencing where you are going to seed these?” If producers plan on grazing, Sedivec says water availability should be considered. Located at Grace City, North Dakota, Spickler Ranch South owner Nathan Spickler has had success using winter cereal rye during dry conditions. “Where our farm is located, we’re usually inches away from being in a drought before the rest of Foster County. Several years ago, we seeded rye as a way to capitalize on snow melt, early season rain and to jump start seeding warm-season cover crops mixes behind it.” This webinar series can be viewed here.
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