Parched (but planning)
Hopefully if I write about drought it will rain – like when I mow hay, and seemingly out of nowhere there’s a pop-up shower. I would welcome that right now, even if it’s too late, as Jack Frost punctuates the pain upon the plants left to harvest.
Even though the U.S. Drought Monitor still indicates that many parts of the Northeast (Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine) are in “Severe to Exceptional Drought,” it doesn’t adequately describe a farmer’s anxiety on the ground, especially grass-based dairy farms and livestock operations who rely on parched pastures and hayfields to feed animals and consumers. Most farmers in these areas have said the same thing: “This sucks.”
Dr. Andrew Weaver, Extension small ruminant specialist at North Carolina State University, said, “We stock our farms for 40 to 50 inches of rain. We don’t stock them for six inches. So, when we get the dry year, we’re not necessarily prepared for it.”
Comedian Steven Wright reiterated the sentiment: “Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.”
If you’ll remember, we had a “real winter” with abundant snow followed by a rainy spring that thwarted planting and harvesting activities which prompted many to wonder “When will the spigot shut off?” When it did, folks were feverishly planting or replanting in combination with making hay and getting animals out to pasture.
Then, toward the end of June, the hurt was setting up in what officials said was a “flash drought,” characterized as a “rapidly intensifying drought, often following a wet spring, characterized by very dry and warm conditions that quickly deplete soil moisture and lead to low stream-flows and groundwater levels.”
Call it what you will, farms were blindsided. It’s probably a good time to ask “What have we learned from this adversity on the land, even in hindsight?” When did you notice dry weather was affecting production? How did you measure/collect data? What metrics were you using to formulate feed inventory? Are there strategies to manage differently? Is there a decision-making process and a critical point to do something? What does this triage look like? (and on and on).
One thing’s for sure – it’s a great time to learn lessons of resilience while it’s still fresh, even if it hurts a bit.
These experiences come from boots and eyes on the ground and some amiable farmer peers. It’s why I appreciate my travels with NatGLC to learn how farmers are managing and sharing their nuggets of optimism. The timing of pasture walks and workshops wouldn’t be one’s first choice during this lengthy dry spell, but farmers in the Northeast have stepped up to host some critical thinking and shared experiences. It felt good to talk and socialize during a time of intense pressure.
Here’s a few nuggies of resilience we’ve learned from producers in the field:
Have a grazing plan and an appropriate stocking rate that considers “What if _____ happens?”
The sooner you measure and know the forage growth, the sooner you can make a decision to act. Determine the critical dates by which management decisions need to be made.
Proactive decision-making returns more profit than a reactive strategy. Secure feed sooner rather than later.
Have a back-up plan, financial tools and a comfortable bank of feed inventory on hand.
Have a destocking strategy.
If you’ve been leaving appropriate forage residual and longer recovery periods, when the moisture returns, you’ll infiltrate more and get a quicker plant response.
Use the dryness to graze on wetter paddocks or feed on fields that need fertility.
Adjust grazing turnout times to match cooler temperatures.
Grazing dairy farms have a significant context difference than other operations.
Stay connected with mentors who have experienced these events before. Don’t go through the stress of drought alone.
Good work shows up on the land, especially grazing and manure management, along with animal impacts on improving soil organic matter.
As the rain hopefully returns – and who knows what winter will bring – the lesson book has added another chapter in resilience.
For the 2026 growing season: Plan toward your goals, keep the soil covered and fertility up, secure or have an inventory of feed at all times, be financially prudent and positioned, make management decisions based on good data and monitoring, continue to learn through observation, stay connected with mentors, trusted peers and service providers, take a family vacation and celebrate the good work you’ve done in the face of adversity.
“Keep in mind that the best drought insurance for pastures is good long-term pasture management before, during and after the drought.” – Hugh Aljoe, director of ranches, outreach & partnerships at the Noble Research Institute
