On Pasture’s readers are spread across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America. Depending on where you live, that means you might be coming into mud season, or you might be facing drought. So this week, we’re prepping for both.
The Basics
We’ll start with just some basics that apply to everyone. Troy Bishopp shows us how to check our pasture’s “T Account” to make sure we have the forage we need and gives some good early grazing season advice.
Mud or Drought? Which One Are You?
The National Drought Monitor is a team of climatologists and meteorologists from the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Every week, the team puts together a map showing current conditions on the ground. This information is used by the USDA to trigger disaster declarations and eligibility for low-interest loans and to determine eligibility for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program. The Internal Revenue Service uses it to provide for tax deferral on forced livestock sales due to drought. Their work is also important to State, local, tribal, and basin-level decision makers who use the information to trigger drought responses or declare drought emergencies.
Here’s what things look like in the United States as of the March 6, 2025 report. (If you’re in Canada or Mexico, check out the North American Drought Monitor here.
If you go to the website, you can click on the map to see more detail about your region.
The team also puts together graphs showing what percentage of the country is experiencing what level of drought. This is helpful because it can help you plan for changes in cattle prices should large areas of the country experience drought that results in cattle sell-offs. Here’s what things look like currently for the entire U.S. Visit this page and select your region for more detail on the area right around you.
The National Weather Service also provides predictions of seasonal temperatures and precipitation.
Warmer temperatures increase evaporation and a loss of soil moisture. Scientist call this “atmospheric thirst,” noting that just as people and plants demand more water when it’s hotter, so does the atmosphere.
Higher temperatures and atmospheric thirst mean lower soil moisture
You can use all of this information to help gauge what kind of grazing season you’re preparing for.
Grazing Through Mud Season
Maybe, like Greg Judy, you’re in an area of the country that frequently experiences a “Mud Season” before spring grazing gets into full swing. He’s accumulated some good tips for managing cattle so that they get the forage they need without causing damage to wet pastures.
Set Up For Year Long Grazing in the Spring – In Spite of Mud Season
Are You Drought Bound?
Many of you are probaby already aware of drought warnings in your future. Here in Arizona, we’re in megadrought that has continued for 25 years. That means more than a third of my life has been spent looking for clouds and hoping for rain and snow that never comes. But drought can still surprise us. So, if you’re in a region that often experiences abnormal dryness, your best bet is to pray for rain but prepare for drought.
I’ve published a variety of articles about managing through drought, and you can find them here. Or download this ebook collection of articles to get to the heart of the matter quickly:
