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Cattle producers should be on the watch for nitrate and prussic acid poisoning during drought conditions.

Drought is a topic on every tongue in our service area. I've recently visited with several producers who have made plans to manage through this drought. But the length and severity of this dry spell is affecting everyone and is very serious for many.

Heat stress can greatly impact cattle producers through decreased milk production and subsequent calf growth, decreased reproductive performance in cows and bulls, and decreased stocker and feeder performance. It has been estimated that heat-related events in the Midwest have cost the cattle industry over $75 million in the past 10 years.

Rains and normal temperatures into June have taken some of the sting out of the memories of last summer's drought. For cattle kept during the summer of 1998, many of the effects of heat stress were...

Limited rainfall and record heat forced the liquidation of livestock, the likes of which most of us have never seen in our lifetimes. Only the most astute land managers will recover quickly, while the majority will experience lasting effects. It may take as many as three to five years for some to fully recover and that is only if we see good years along the way.

Many landowners are building and stocking new ponds, as well as re-stocking old ponds that dried up, with fish to increase water reserves and provide fisheries for family enjoyment or income. It's good to take time to consider all of the values that ponds have to offer before actually beginning the dirt work.

Pastures are quickly burning up due to the heat and dry conditions, resulting in ranchers quickly running out of grazeable pasture that provides the necessary energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. Since the drought is covering such a large area, accessible supplemental hay and available rental pasture is not abundant in nearby areas.

Above-average temperatures and low soil moisture have once again forced us to think about some drought management practices. Early weaning is one way to reduce the nutritional requirements of your cow herd and ultimately improve reproductive efficiency.

Drought is a dirty word around these parts. A project between the Noble Research Institute and Texas A&M University hopes to help regional producers with a system to forecast probable forage growth conditions up to 90 days in the future.

An option available to producers this fall is overseeding the warm season pastures with a cool season forage, assuming we have adequate moisture conditions at planting. With our summer pastures being grazed short, early establishment is very possible and would thus facilitate fall forage production.