drought accomodation

Folks have asked about what we are doing in response to the extreme drought under which our part of Ohio is suffering, not this summer only, but cumulatively for the past four or five years. How does one make provision for the farm during a period when forage is scarce and livestock water intermittent? We are going into the winter with less grass than we would normally have, so some decisions have had to be made.

Thanks to our stocking rate being calculated from what we need for year-round grazing, summer seldom finds us feeding hay. While our neighbors fed round bales on a sacrifice paddock, our cows were grazing abundant surplus. Coming into the fall, a neighbor who hadn't taken second cutting gave us leave to graze four acres, so the lactating cows have been on a visit half-a-mile up the road - we've been milking in a machine shed with no walls and many holes the in the salvaged metal roof; it may not sound like fun, but it has been a Godsend.

From the dry herd, we've slaughtered four steers - two more than usual - to bring our numbers down as far as possible. Hay is scarcely to be had around here; we bought squares enough for three weeks of bad weather, and we'll keep a close count of our acreage over January/February. We're praying for a cold-ish winter with more snow than rain - light, dusty snow that won't sit heavy on the grass - warm, wet weather, or wet snow, degrades stockpiled forage so that by March it can be pretty poor nutrition.

Borrowed pasture and destocking are our solutions, so far.