March 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 25 Helpful Tools If you want to take a closer look at grass and drought predictions for the upcoming year, the professionals have a few tools that they recommend: Grass-Cast: Grassland Productivity Forecast is a website run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps ranchers predict whether productivity, which is measured in pounds per acre, is likely to be above normal, near normal or below normal for the upcoming growing season, based on the relativity to the history of the area. Grass-Cast publishes initial data for the year in late spring and updates data every two weeks throughout the growing season. https://grasscast.unl.edu Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI) is a resource managed by UNL and is a weekly depiction of vegetation stress, especially as a result of drought, across the United States. UNL relies on efforts by the National Drought Mitigation Center, the U.S. Geological Survey National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science and the High Plains Regional Climate Center to maintain the VegDRI map and resources. According to the VegDRI website, the VegDRI calculations integrate satellite-based observations of vegetation conditions, climate data and other biophysical information such as land cover/land use type, soil characteristics and ecological setting. https://vegdri.unl.edu The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is another resource to take a look at for current pasture outlook conditions. The USDM releases updated maps every Thursday, showing where the droughts are across the U.S. and its territories, and the severity of the drought. The maps rank conditions into six categories, ranging from normal to exceptional drought. The USDM is a collaboration of the UNL National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDM provides a map that visually portrays the drought conditions, as well as summaries of each region that dive deeper into specific conditions. You can also find graphs comparing drought patterns back to 2000, drought impacts by state and even guidance for determining if your area is eligible for Farm Service Agency funds. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu A Grass-Cast map of the Great Plains regions shows the percent change in 2023 predicted ANPP compared to the 36-year mean ANPP. A rangeland map from VegDRI for Aug. 13, 2023. By visiting the VegDRI website, you can see current rangeland conditions across the United States. Map courtesy of Eric Hunt. A look at drought conditions across the United States for Aug. 15, 2023, from the U.S. Drought Monitor. USDM shows current drought conditions as well historical drought conditions.
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