“Where did the rain go?” is a question that pops up at some point every year in Missouri. It is typically associated with some measure of a dry spell and is always somebody’s drought. At that points thoughts turn to coping with the drought and trying to find more forage while cattle hunt for the next bite. Oh what we wouldn’t give to turn back the calendar three or four months to have that rain again.
But during every drought, we see the drastic effects change at the property fence line. What makes one person’s drought worse than his neighbors? Each year we do have a chance to turn the calendar back and start over given Missouri’s cyclic weather patterns. Perhaps this year will be the one where you will take advantage of that 90 days preparation time you’re given to ‘prevent the drought’ before it starts.
In grassland agriculture, we can manipulate where much of the rain goes through our management of the forage. When it floods, for example, it is not only evidence of too much water but too little cover. Residue from grasses can act to slow down the runoff with drought breaking effects. Raising minimum grazing heights leaves more residue and actively growing leaves that provide benefits in the following areas over time:
INFILTRATION – water moving down into the soil profile instead of running off the surface. Water that slows down to trickle around the grass cover spends more time on the surface and has more time to go into the soil.
EVAPORATION – higher grazing heights with more cover on the surface have a cooling and shading effect on the ground surface. This reduces the baking effect of the sun against the bare soil, keeps the plants cooler and in an active growing stage longer into hot weather.
SURFACE SEALING – when raindrops hit the bare earth, soil particles are dislodged and move around to plug pore space openings where water might have soaked in. This caked layer of fine unstructured particles seals the surface to slow infiltration rates.
DEEPER ROOTS – taller grass plants support deeper, more massive root systems. Not only are the roots able to reach water further down in the soil profile when less rainfall happens, but these deeper roots create tiny openings as they repeatedly grow and die, to allow more water into the soil.
REDUCED RUNOFF – and running off slower takes less precious topsoil with it. Not only is it productivity maintained in place, but downstream flooding effects are reduced.
ORGANIC MATTER – is improved giving soils better water holding capability and higher natural fertility as the decay process continues.
While we usually cannot cost effectively eliminate the drought, we can control a good portion of how drastically it affects us and our bottom line. Raising grazing heights does not mean lost forage. Extra bites are often seen as forage left in the field that the livestock could have taken. The unseen effect is how many bites never grew by taking those extra bites now and causing plant stress. Make a difference on one field of your own this year and see the difference at your fence line.
Myron Hartzell, Natural Resources Conservation District grassland specialist in Dallas County, Missouri.
