Drought. The word alone is dreaded by producers who at one time or another have found themselves facing Nature's whims. Many think the only solution is to sell out or go broke.
Dr. Anibal Pordomingo, Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Agriculture Research of Argentina and a frequent contributor to The Stockman Grass Farmer, offers hope in his new book Drought! Managing For It, Surviving & Profiting From It.
In addition to his research on animal nutrition, Dr. Pordimingo has a personal family farm with 500 beef cows in La Pampa, Argentina. In this book he tells how he survived a seven year drought, and shares methods to help your farm or ranch successfully and profitably overcome the effects of drought.
He covers strategies on how to select grasses with deep roots capable of surviving droughty conditions. Alfalfa is the preferred grass, yet fear of bloat causes many producers to shy away from this queen of forages. Dr. Pordomingo presents grazing tips for introducing animals to alfalfa with little or no bloat, and explains what to do if bloat does occur.
Dr. Pordomingo explains how pasture and cropping rotations can provide long term viability. Soybeans and grazing corn alternatives can keep animals gaining during periods of low or no rainfall. And selling excess hay when others are in dire need adds pure gold to your profitability during these distressing times.
While forage quantity declines in a drought, forage quality can actually improve.
Dry spells occur nearly every year. Drought is normal. Only the severity of it changes. As the book explains, you can manage ahead of time to limit the severity of drought. Strategic decisions aid in survival. And you can profit from it while others sell out.