PLAN FOR PASTURE PRODUCTION VARIATION SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA - LINCOLN
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orage production from pasture and native range can vary significantly from year to year.
Warm, windy, dry conditions in the month of March have dried out the top soil in many parts of Nebraska. While there is still adequate subsoil moisture in many locations, the pattern of above normal temperatures with below normal precipitation is concerning. Forage production from pasture and native range can vary significantly from year to year based on precipitation, temperatures, available nutrients and plant health. The first limiting factor for grass production in the Sandhills and Nebraska panhandle is spring and early summer precipitation. Planning to adjust
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stocking rates by critical “trigger” dates can help producers manage for expected shortfalls in forage production when precipitation and available soil moisture are below the long-term average. From a rangeland and pasture production standpoint, it is good to remind ourselves of how critical available soil moisture is to plant growth. Cool- and warm-season grass species have “rapid-growth windows” when optimum air temperature, day length and soil moisture all need to be present to allow plants to fully express their growth potential. Once the “window” of opportunity has passed for a particular grass species, even if it does rain, it is too late to get significant growth from those plants.
From a grassland manager standpoint, lack of soil moisture and precipitation means limited forage growth and less grass available for grazing. Thus reducing what the expected appropriate stocking rate should be for the grazing season. Precipitation during May, June and July are strongly correlated with forage production on warm-season dominated range sites in the Nebraska Sandhills. In the Nebraska panhandle where many range sites are dominated by cool-season grass plants, precipitation in April, May and June is the major influencer of forage production.
TRIGGER DATES Trigger dates by which to reduce stocking rates will vary depending upon the grass
