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Tag: grazing management

Ranch management and drought monitoring

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

by Walt Fick, Extension Rangeland Specialist

Drought in the Great Plains is a normal occurrence and inevitable.  Drought occurs when an area receives less than 75% normal precipitation.  Kansas is likely to have a drought 3 out of 10 years. When 2021 began, over 81% of the state was experiencing some level of drought.  In the last report from the U.S. Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu), only western Kansas, or about 36% of the state, was experiencing abnormally dry to severe drought conditions (Figure 1). Continue reading “Ranch management and drought monitoring” →

Evaluating Rules of Thumb for Grazing Management – Part 3

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

by Keith Harmoney, Range Scientist, Hays

Over the years, I’ve heard rangeland managers develop rules of thumb, or short phrases, to try to help them simplify decisions that need to be made to manage their pastures.  Some of these rules of thumb have merit and scientific or economic data to support the rules of thumb; however, some rules of thumb may be unfounded and lack informational support.   In previous Beef Tips Newsletters, I listed some common rules of thumb, along with an explanation of whether or not the rule of thumb has any merit or basis of support.  You can go back and read Rules of Thumb 1-4 in the January Beef Tips, and Rules of Thumb 5-8 in the March Beef Tips.  This month, another four Rules of Thumb are listed, and a Thumbs Up means it’s a rule of thumb with merit, and a Thumbs Down indicates the rule of thumb lacks support and has room for improvement.  A Thumbs Up and a Thumbs Down means that arguments may be made for and against the rule of thumb. Continue reading “Evaluating Rules of Thumb for Grazing Management – Part 3” →

An Efficient Stocking Strategy for Grazing Replacement Heifers

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Even though Kansas native rangelands often have steep slopes or shallow soils not con­ducive to many other uses other than livestock grazing, native rangeland and perennial grassland acres in Kansas have been declining. Cropland acreage over this same time frame has increased, and rangelands have also become more fragmented by small ranch­ettes and urbanization. Producers may be looking to increase production efficiency on a shrinking forage land base. Continue reading “An Efficient Stocking Strategy for Grazing Replacement Heifers” →

Evaluating Rules of Thumb for Grazing Management – Part 2

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

 by Keith Harmoney, Range Scientist, Hays

Over the years, I’ve heard rangeland managers develop rules of thumb, or short phrases, to try to help them simplify decisions that need to be made to manage their pastures.  Some of these rules of thumb have merit and scientific or economic data to support the rules of thumb; however, some rules of thumb may be unfounded and lack informational support.   In the previous Beef Tips Newsletter, I listed some common rules of thumb, along with an explanation of whether or not the rule of thumb has any merit or basis of support.  You can go back and read the first four Rules of Thumb in the January Beef Tips.  This month, another four Rules of Thumb are listed, Continue reading “Evaluating Rules of Thumb for Grazing Management – Part 2” →

Evaluating Rules of Thumb for Grazing Management

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

by Keith Harmoney, Range Scientist, Hays

Over the years, I’ve heard rangeland managers develop rules of thumb, or short phrases, to try to help them simplify decisions that need to be made to manage their pastures.  Some of these rules of thumb have merit and scientific or economic data to support the rules of thumb; however, some rules of thumb may be unfounded and lack informational support.   The following is a list of some common rules of thumb, along with an explanation of whether or not the rule of thumb has any merit or basis of support.  Thumbs Up means it’s a rule of thumb with merit, and a Thumbs Down indicates the rule of thumb lacks support and has room for improvement.  A Thumbs Up and a Thumbs Down means that arguments may be made for and against the rule of thumb.  Below is the first set in a series of three sets of rules of thumb that will be shared in upcoming newsletters. Continue reading “Evaluating Rules of Thumb for Grazing Management” →