After approaching four years of extended drought and having exhausted all drought management options, total liquidation of the livestock was imminent. Thankfully the rains began to fall in mid-April, not large amounts .87” the largest rain event, but consistent small rains continuing from April to the current date. Along with relatively cool spring temperature’s, excellent growth and recovery of the rangeland has been achieved. (Seldom does this combination of rains and cool temps occur even during high rainfall times.) Past graze-rest adaptive grazing is paying excellent benefits as the photo below shows.

Big Blue (Center of picture) and Indian Grass (Upper center, just above Big Blue) are showing excellent recovery even though grazed to the ground during the dry spell. Some would say to never graze that short and I would concur, but under extended drought conditions that seems to occur often. Obviously, the root systems of both plants were healthy enough to recover quickly under those extenuating circumstances. Perhaps the rocky terrain helped, as the livestock could not graze so close as to ‘grub’ the roots below the surface. Of important note Sideoats, Texas Cup, Green Sprangle Top and Silver Bluestem are doing well, but they were not grazed to the ground as the highly palatable Indian and Big Blue were.

The Better It Gets, The Fast It Gets Better

A veteran producer recently asked me: Is the current drought worse than the one in the 1950’s? My quick response was that we hadn’t seen anything yet. As in the early ‘50s drought, the rain gauge at the Bobs Creek headquarters (My home) had an average rainfall of just under 6” per year for a four-year period and the drought lasted from 6 to 7 years depending on the area.

Then it occurred to me that the rangeland was in much better condition prior to the ‘50s drought than it is today. Remember the story of a long-time rancher telling me when I was in my 20’s (late 1970’s) that: “With each passing dry spell one can never run as many livestock as he could prior to that dry spell.” Loss of grazing capacity has dwindled from documented grazing of 100 plus animal units per section in 1880 to 15 -10 and even less animals per section today on the same rangeland. With that loss of grass density, root structure in the soil (sod if you will) loss of topsoil due to erosion, soil health decline and density of brush cover increase. The limited moisture that has fallen during this dry period has considerably less opportunity to produce new growth providing all of the benefits healthy growing plants provide. (5.49” for the year at his point in 2024 at my house)

So perhaps on rangelands that are not under an effective grazing management program this drought is possibly worse than the 1950’s event. Many to the north and east of my area have had a tremendous rainfall year and recovered well, but even in those areas I suspect it is noticeable which operations have practiced a good grazing management program prior to and during the dry conditions before the rains came.

Just a few miles to the west of me it is obvious that the desert is steadily encroaching to the east and without a dramatic change in grazing technique this trend will continue. The knowledge is out there, and the time is here to do something about it.

The photo below is of some native-unseeded Switch grass that has survived from many years of abuse (heavy brush and very forbidding-rough terrain has protected these surviving plants) and under the current Graze-Rest-Graze-Rest program is making a strong recovery even without a direct water source. (Most consider Switch grass to be dependent on a close source of water, springs-sub irrigated-intermittent standing water.) Think back to the beginning of the cattle industry in West Texas when Switch grass and other tall grasses were healthy and numerous, this ‘little’ dry spell would have a much different affect and would have little consequence to the long-range health of the plants with a healthy rangeland in place before the droughts beginning.

The Better it Gets the Faster it gets Better

Here are three photos of the burn in 2018, the first being a few days after the burn, take note of the large mesquite tree in upper center of photo. Of interest is Grant Teplicek on the far right. Grant is a very proficient-knowledgeable burn specialist with the NRCS, it is sad that the powers that be, have virtually stopped the use of these specialists. Not letting them participate in prescribed burns other than design of a burn. They cannot participate in the burn itself, to the point of if the fire escapes they are to do nothing to help control it.)

A very effective burn of relatively hot conditions, the second photo taken mid-February 2022, showing the same large mesquite in the first photo. (I recommend that when photo points of a burn are established not to use trees as the identification of a specific site as the tree may be top killed as a result of the burn and over time it becomes very hard to find that exact site.) Take note of the lack of visible prickly pear, yes there are several plants remaining but are covered by the vigorous grass community. The third picture is of a dead pear that has expired because of the burn and the density of the grasses and their root systems competing with the pear, no chemicals applied. Perhaps aided by insects and unknown microbial activity as a result of the more intensive graze rest management program.

It is my belief that the first prerequisite of any rangeland recovery program is establishment of an effective graze-rest management program.

THE BETTER IT GETS THE FASTER IT GETS BETTER