Michigan State University Extension | Updated: October 15, 2012
The worst portion of the 2012 drought in the Midwest occurred with the summer heat in June and July, but the hope for recovery never came to most pastures in late summer and fall. Some regions received substantial rains for a few weeks in August but even those areas have turned dry again. Pasture growth never flourished for most of the growing season. Now with the frost and snow season knocking on the door the hope of additional pasture growth is rapidly vanishing across the Midwest.
Management decisions made by grazing farms in 2012 may not have been according to textbook recommendations. Many farms remained optimistic or indecisive for too long, over grazing pastures and hurting the plants growth potential for next year. When you are between a rock – no pasture growth left, and a hard place – feed prices at unprecedented levels, the decisions are not easily made. Given all of this there are still decisions that can be made yet this fall and next year to reduce the impact of this year’s drought on the livestock grazing farms.
