Drought forces forage/livestock producers to develop a strategy that deals with indirect economic and biological effects of too many animals for the available feed as well as direct effects of low water supply on plants and animals. This strategy can be subdivided into three basic categories: 1. livestock inventory, 2. efficient use of existing forage resources, and 3. developing alternative forage supplies.

Adjusting livestock inventory to reduce and balance total forage requirement with available supply usually is the best and most economical alternative. Trying to feed your way through a drought can be financial suicide, especially if the drought lasts more than one growing season. Very few cattle have enough production value to pay for year-round purchased feed. Many strategies can be used to reduce forage demand. They include the following:

1. Heavily cull late calving cows, older cattle, and less productive cows. Cull early too avoid desperation selling when prices are low because everyone else is selling.
2. Remove yearlings from pasture early and sell or drylot.
3. Early wean more effective than creep feeding. Bred cows can get by on minimal forage if not suckling calves.
4. Skip keeping replacement heifers, or keep young, healthy open cows instead of heifers. It is costly to feed without a calf for income.

Use existing forage resources efficiently. Although carrying capacity is lower during drought, improved grazing management may minimize this loss. Some examples include:

1. Delay turn-out to permanent pastures by feeding carryover hay or by grazing meadows, early alfalfa growth, or winter cereals. A 1- to 2-week delay in turn-out can increase forage production 10 percent or more when soil moisture is limited.
2. Erect temporary cross-fences within larger pastures to concentrate grazing in one small area at a time. This encourages cattle to more completely utilize whatever forage is available and defers grazing on the other pastures, allowing them to accumulate more growth before being grazed. Be sure to provide enough time for adequate plant recovery before grazing the pasture again.
3. Skim or flash graze each pasture very briefly with a high concentration of livestock early in the grazing season to use plants that otherwise would become mature and left ungrazed if grazing is delayed. Typical examples include sedges, cheatgrass and downy brome, bluegrass, and early forbs.
4. Take advantage of weedy growth in crop residues and pasture patches as well as roadsides, woodlots, etc. as permitted. Temporary electric fencing, and sometimes hauled water, may be needed to control when and where cattle graze these areas.
5. Be especially cautious of poisonous plants as well as nitrates, prussic acid, and grass tetany. Many plants that aren't toxic or aren't normally consumed may poison livestock when forage supply is low.
6. Avoid overgrazing rangeland, otherwise recovery following drought will be slow and production depressed for an extended time.
7. Time grazing in pastures with questionable water supply or quality early in the grazing season when water demand by cattle will be less. Hauling water or pumping it through a pipeline may be needed for remote areas.

Finally, additional forage supplies can be developed. These options, though, must be chosen with great care because they may be expensive relative to other alternatives, such as de-stocking. Among the alternatives are the following:

1. Cut winter wheat for hay instead of grain, especially if low grain yields are expected.
2. Plant oats as early as possible for grazing or hay. Oats uses spring moisture very efficiently to produce forage. Under irrigation, oats often can be harvested early enough to permit double cropping of corn silage or a summer annual forage grass.
3. Use alfalfa for pasture instead of hay. Of course, other winter feed supplies then may be needed. Protect cattle from bloat.
4. Green chop alfalfa or hay meadows daily instead of grazing or harvesting as hay. This minimizes losses and stretches feed supply to its maximum, but it can be expensive.
5. Plant summer annual forage grasses like sudangrass and millets. These plants are drought resistant but will need some summer moisture for economical growth.
6. Graze corn, especially dryland corn with depressed yields. Corn provides high carrying capacity and quality for a "salvage" operation, but introduce cattle to it slowly to avoid digestive problems.
7. Buy hay early and store hay while it is inexpensive.