Managing Drought Conditions

Monitoring developing drought conditions and managing drought. This section focuses on monitoring efforts that can provide warning of developing drought conditions, as well as specific actions that can be taken during periods of active drought. This is when the plans are put into action.

Texas A&M Resources.

Increasing bare ground indicates poor watershed health.
Rangeland Watershed Management for Texans: Increasing Bare Ground Indicates Poor Watershed Health
Range condition: Key to sustained ranch productivity. (PDF)
Rangeland Watershed Management for Texans: Are Your Pastures Healthy?
Are your pastures healthy?
Obtaining and Using USDA Market and Production Reports
Information on forecasts and reports. This publication also subtly highlights the importance of citizen data inputs.
How USDA Forecasts Production and Supply/Demand
Vague mentions of how “weather” can affect crop forecasts and progress reports.
Protect your water well during drought.
During severe droughts, people rely heavily on groundwater—the water held underground in aquifers.
Livestock Management
Rangeland drought management for livestock.
Keeping cattle hydrated and healthy during a drought.
Drought conditions can create two deadly dangers for your herd: water deprivation and water (salt) intoxication. Poor water quality will worsen these conditions.
Balancing forage demand with forage supply.
To achieve this balance, ranchers need more information on current forage conditions.
Matching cattle production cycle to forage availability on the High Plains.
Examines how to match the quantity and quality of forage to varying livestock demands during a normal year and discusses how to provide some flexibility in the face of unpredictable conditions.
Rangeland drought management – supplemental feeding.
When forage quality and/or quantity is affected by drought, livestock producers are usually faced with decisions about supplemental feeding.
Retained Ownership Strategies for Cattlemen
Spreading risk between production activities or from one period of time to another through retained ownership strategies.
Livestock Risk Protection
Basics of livestock risk protection. Drought conditions may result in landowners selling cattle early and voiding the contract.
MANAGERS BULLETIN: MGR–21-008: USDA issued bulletin Suspension of Livestock Risk Protection Basic Provisions 60 Day Ownership Requirement Due to Severe Drought
In response to the drought conditions in 2021, the USDA issued a bulletin allowing insurance providers to waive the 60 day requirement at their discretion.
Economic Tools to Evaluate Culling Decisions for Breeding Cattle and Replacements
Example of how a producer can use an economic model to evaluate alternatives when faced with selling decisions in response to drought.
Common grazing management mistakes.
Annual stocking rate decisions are made before the year’s forage production can be known.
Rangeland drought management – stocking rate and grazing.
When dealing with drought, some of a livestock producer’s most important decisions concern stocking rates and grazing management.
Rangeland health and sustainability.
The health of Texas rangelands is important to every citizen of the state.
Improving rainfall effectiveness on rangeland.
Technology cannot predictably manipulate the weather. However, management tools are available to improve the effectiveness of any rainfall received.
Manure harvesting frequency: The Key to Feedyard Dust Control in a Summer Drought
Such concentrations of dust may be a risk to the respiratory health of cattle and may be a nuisance for neighbors. Frequent manure harvesting can be part of a drought-management scheme to conserve water and control dust.
Irrigation timing during drought.
Guidelines that can help you plan irrigations to minimize yield reductions in corn, cotton, and sorghum.
Emergency alternate crops for South Texas.
Maintaining a damaged stand could result in accepting further plant population losses, worsening weed problems, and risking reduced yields.
Alternate source of water – graywater.
using graywater resources simply and legally, at the same time protecting your family’s health, your neighborhood and the environment.
Graywater safety.
Homeowners who irrigate their lawns with graywater need to understand the risks and safety issues associated with such use.
Rangeland drought management – toxic range plants.
Toxic plants can pose a major threat to livestock during a drought. Animals consume more of these plants during drought because fewer alternative range plants are available.

Subcategory for wildfires, since drought conditions can greatly increase the risk of wildfire.

Texas wildfires in 2017.
Burn Severity Maps for the 2017 Panhandle Fires
Safeguarding against wildfires.
When dry conditions and high winds follow periods of rain that grow dense grass, wildfires can ignite easily and spread rapidly. Under such conditions, fires can carry for long distances, cause extensive property damage and even result in loss of life
Wildfire response.
To properly coordinate a multi-jurisdictional response, it is critical that all participants use a standard terminology and have a common understanding of how operations will be conducted. These terms and operational structures are described.
Wildfire behavior and emergency response.
Given the likelihood of wildfires throughout Texas, landowners need to be aware of the threats they pose. When wildfire occurs, preparation and timely action can determine how well you and your property fare.
Understanding wildfire response.
Duplicate?
Wildfire impacts on surface water.
Wildfire effects on water quality can be physical, chemical, biological, or some combination of these.
Wildfire ready checklist.
Preparing for wildfire response ahead of time is one of the most important steps a landowner can take.