CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--Recent rains have greened up grasslands in South Dakota, but a federal rangeland specialist warns ranchers that the pastures are a long way from full recovery after years of drought, the Rapid City Journal reported in an article on its Web site.
"While the green looks nice, the plants have been severely stressed and it may take years to recover productivity," said Stan Boltz, state rangeland management specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service in Huron, S.D.
"The damage to vegetation from a drought really is immeasurable. Root structures have been reduced, and it may take years of careful management to bring the grasses back to full production," Boltz said, according to the article.
He said even with normal precipitation next year's production on the rangelands will be about 30% of average. "With good precipitation two years after a drought year, production may still only be 50% of normal."
Despite recent rains, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that the western half of South Dakota remains in extreme drought.
Boltz said livestock producers need to do everything possible to limit the drought's impact on the range health, especially avoiding overgrazing. "If possible, move the cattle out of the pastures and feed them in dry lot," Boltz said. "It is not a good idea to feed them replacement feed out on the range because the animals will continue to graze any green growth." The plants need this growth for photosynthesis to sustain their life cycle. The same recommendation to leave new growth this fall is also true for hayland, he said, according to the newspaper article.
Boltz said many ranchers weaned calves early and culled herds to reduce pressure on the rangeland. He suggests that, if possible, ranchers rest pasture for an entire year or use it just in the winter. "Resting of a pasture for a whole grazing year will help heal the vegetation and gain full production back within two years after a drought."
Although the loss of forage is greater in the one to two years immediately following a drought, loss of forage production can last much longer, especially if management is not adjusted to compensate for the drought, Boltz said.
"Using the average cost of grazing land rental rate, the long-term loss of forage could amount to $6 per acre on overused rangeland compared to those lands where measures are taken to adjust to the drought," he said. That means ranchers potentially would have to buy that much more hay or lease additional grazing land. Cattle performance could also suffer on overly stressed rangeland, with average daily gains likely to be lower and an increased potential for cattle to graze poisonous or toxic plants.
Ranchers in drought areas, which include the western two-thirds of South Dakota, have been trying to balance their business' short-term economics and planning with the long-term health and productivity of their pastures, Boltz said. "In the long term, it is hard to see tangible impacts on the vegetation from the drought because changes happen about as quickly as 'watching grass grow,'" he said.
Source: Angie Pointer; Dow Jones Newswires; 312-750-4075; angie.pointer@dowjones.com