Take hay inventory NOW! Do you have enough for the winter? Purchase early as hay availability will decrease and become more costly as winter comes.
Reduce your animal stocking rate. If you need to cull, do it now.
Identify best supplementation options with commodities. Hay alone will most likely not be sufficient for your livestock since our pasture are poor or nonexistent. Decide what supplement you need to feed. Have a hay test done – call me and Merrill to come out to do your hay tests.
Don’t plant your winter annuals until you get some moisture in the ground. You still have time into November, the earlier the better though.
Check out this video on Managing Forages in Drought conditions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7oHT3NBsGs
Forage-Drought-related publications
Body Condition Scoring Beef Cows
Keep an eye on your animals body condition
Foxtail
The never ending battle on this weed!
Understanding and Improving Forage Quality
How to take, interpret, and utilize a forage sample
Baleage: Frequently Asked Questions