The current map from the U.S. drought monitor (Current Map | U.S. Drought Monitor (unl.edu)) has all but a small corner of Nebraska listed as abnormally dry to extreme drought. This ongoing drought has been affecting parts of the state since 2020, forcing beef cattle producers to make drought related management decisions. One of the options often proposed to help reduce pressure on drought stricken pastures is early weaning.

May marked the beginning that pasture and range conditions are released by USDA-AMS in their weekly crop progress reports by state. This gives the industry its first barometer of how bad the drought could be this year across the United States to the overall industry and to specific geographic areas. The USDA-AMS reports pasture and range conditions in five categories: very poor, poor, fair, good, and excellent.

Lactating cows grazing limited forage resources may struggle to select a diet that will also support rebreeding. Cows calving in April and May must be bred in July and August. When rainfall is adequate and proper stocking density is used, the grass in July and August is typically adequate to support the needs of the lactating and cycling cow. However, in a severe drought, not only is there risk of overgrazing and damaging the pastures, there is also a risk of having a high percentage of open cows when cows are checked in the fall.

We ask a lot from our cows come breeding season. We expect her to be providing adequate nutrients for calf growth (lactating), we expect her reproductive tract to repair and return to estrus prior to the start of breeding. All these expectations are within 90 days after calving to maintain a yearly calving interval.