26 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN March 2024 but, by and large, we had a pretty solid year, and a lot of our plant biomass data would suggest that it was a good year for warm-season grass growth.” Summer Outlook As far as weather patterns go, we are starting to transition out of El Niño, which is a good thing for those waiting for that rain dance to work. By looking at data from years where weather patterns transitioned out of El Niño, we can take an educated estimate of what to expect for the coming summer. “If you look at other years where we’ve started transitioning from El Niño back into more oceanic and atmosphere neutral conditions, we do tend to have a pretty active weather pattern throughout a lot of the north central U.S., which would include most of Nebraska,” Hunt explains. “Unfortunately, sometimes the Panhandle doesn’t always get in on that action. But generally speaking, if you’re east of the 100th meridian, you can probably expect a lot of moisture this spring.” Despite this moisture prediction, Hunt encourages producers to reflect on the past as they look to pasture management and planning for the summer. “Depending on the part of the state you’re in, you’re still in drought and it might be several months before it’s fully eradicated, which is why I say that, even if we are getting above-average moisture through the spring, there might be some lag effects on pasture,” Hunt says. ”My recommendation for ranchers is to think back if you’ve been through two or three straight years of drought in the past. Think back to the early part of the teens when we had a couple of pretty bad years in a row and think about how long it took your grasses to mostly recover or your pastures to recover from that and use that as a guide.” How to Prepare Practice those rain dances and say some prayers. But if you’re wanting a more hands-on approach to preparing for the summer, having a grazing plan is a great place to start. “I recommend having a grazing plan in place and making sure that your stocking rates are appropriate for the landscape, making sure that you’re not overstocked,” Stephenson explains. “A lot of times if you’re stocked at the appropriate stocking rate, these wet years are an opportunity for recovery because you probably get more grass than what your cattle can consume. So, it offers a good chance to recover from drought.” But what is a grazing plan? Many producers already have one in place, but to refresh your memory, a grazing plan is defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as a site-specific conservation plan that contains planned PASTURE OUTLOOK AND PREPARATION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 AI Sires Include: Bieber Energize, Pie Cinch, Duff Red Blood, Duff HD, Bieber Deep End, WFL Profitmaker, Seneca, 9 Mile Franchise and many more! BULLS AND FEMALES LIKE THIS SELL! SRA MACK DADDY 301L Reg: 4797212 Sire: BIEBER CL STOCKMARKET E119 Top 2% WW / YW / ADG / MARB / REA SRA CHIEF STOCKMARKET 9262L Reg: 4797208 Sire: BIEBER CL STOCKMARKET E119 -3.2 BW • Top 10% YW / WW / ADG / MARB SRA DARK HORSE ENERGIZE 1628 Reg: 4797230 Sire: BIEBER CL ENGERGIZE F121 Top 8% YW / ADG / WW SRA Half Page.indd 1 2/8/24 6:22 AM
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