Search

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.

Cattle producers should be on watch for two types of poisoning during drought. The potential for nitrate and prussic acid poisoning of cattle is most often associated with dry periods; therefore, livestock owners should take precautions, including forage testing. Often the first indication of a problem is one or more dead animals.

Certainly it is important to have adequate water to translocate nutrients and cool the plant. However, without adequate sunlight intensity, the pecan tree cannot capture the energy necessary to fill its pecans.

If your pond is low, this might be the perfect time to renovate poor or marginal largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish populations or eliminate undesirable fish such as bullheads, common carp, warmouth and green sunfish. If your pond is dry, you will need to make plans to deepen it before stocking fish next spring when, hopefully, it's full again.

There are several management practices that can be implemented to ensure pasture recovery and additional reserves.

Are you flexible enough to manage for that unspeakable term ... drought?

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

The Noble Research Institute Wildlife and Fisheries Consultants provide drought tips on a number of topics.

During periods of limited forage supplies, managing these resources to best meet animal requirements is one of the most important things a cow-calf producer can do. It is critical that producers evaluate the best way to supplement and stretch their forage resources to remain viable in this industry.

Landowners are often tempted to take advantage of droughts by deepening or enlarging existing ponds when water levels drop low enough or when ponds dry up completely. This can be an opportunity to increase water supply for fisheries and livestock, but certain factors should be considered before spending money and time deepening or enlarging a pond.