associate department head, noted that moisture was a great boon on many fronts, saying it greatly im- proved the prospects for planting of winter wheat and other forages for winter pasture. “For many livestock producers
who have been cautious about re- building herds from historical lows despite high market prices, the Sep- tember rains no doubt promoted optimism,” Miller noted. Ted McCollum, Texas AgriLife
Extension beef cattle specialist, says rangeland recovery heading into winter varies across the re- gion. “Rainfall thus far has provided some recovery on the rangeland areas,” he says. “However, the tim- ing and amount of rainfall has not been equal in all areas of the Pan- handle and South Plains. All areas are still behind from a cumulative standpoint. “The rains have allowed for-
age production and some recov- ery. However, we can only consider this a start to the recovery process because of the state of vigor of the plant communities prior to the sum- mer rains.” Soil profi les also vary. “Depends on the location,” McCollum says.
The drought recovery process has just begun. Continued recovery and future recovery hinge on continued moisture and management of the grasslands.
74 The Cattleman December 2013
“According to the West Texas Me- sonet site accessed in late Septem- ber, the majority of locations are dry-to-marginal on soil moisture. “Continued rains to provide
moisture to establish the wheat crop and then keep it growing will be necessary.”
Don’t overstock Overstocking could stretch re-
sources too far. “The forage condi- tions have not improved enough to return to full stocking,” McCol- lum says. “Again, the approach and numbers are going to vary because of the timing and amount of rainfall that has occurred.” He says there are 2 keys to
drought recovery. One is to re-es- tablish ground cover, both standing vegetation and litter, to increase the capture of precipitation. “Also, allow grass to grow, replenish nutrient stores, gain vigor and reproduce, either vegetatively or by seed,” he says. “From a management stand-
point, stocking rates and rest/de- ferment are the factors under the control of the manager that have great impact on these recovery keys. So, base your stocking rates on the amount of forage available going into the winter. Be conservative and allow for some re-establishment of standing cover and litter.” Higher cattle prices are good
signs heading into winter. McCol- lum says ranchers should ask them- selves, how will continued higher prices impact herd-building and de- cision making this fall and winter? “If they have the forage avail-
able, higher prices may be the stim- ulus for some to begin replacing or rebuilding herd numbers,” he says. “This could help improve fu- ture opportunities to capitalize on
the higher markets that should be around for a few years. “However the higher prices can
be a damper on rebuilding. Higher calf prices are an opportunity to cover some costs that may have accumulated over the last couple of years. So some may opt to sell calves rather retain heifers to re- build cow numbers. “Also, higher prices increase the
investment required to purchase and rebuild female numbers in the herd, so some may opt for alterna- tives other than rebuilding numbers with cows or replacement heifers.”
Measure your supplement feed needs Supplemental feed needs de-
pend on the amount and timing of rainfall and current stocking rates. “During the last couple of years, due to lack of forage production, winter supplements were gener- ally focused on providing energy, whether in nutrient-dense range supplements or as hay or as both,” McCollum says. “Some producers still face this
issue while some may have accu- mulated enough forage relative to their cattle numbers. They may alter their approach to feeding in terms of nutrient profi le of the supplements, as well as amount of supplement. “In the areas further to the west,
September rainfall stimulated some late summer/early fall forage pro- duction. This forage may actually cure with a higher nutritional pro- fi le than normal and change the approach for the winter.”
Risk management With higher inputs that accom-
pany higher cattle prices, managing risk will likely be more important. “This depends on the producer and what one is calling risk manage-
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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