Agriculture & Business Management – Decision Tools

Decision tools for Managing Drought Risk

•  Buy Hay or Sell Cows and more
• Check out our new Colorado-specific Drought Planning Handbook 
• Strategies for Cattle Herd During Drought 
• Custom rates for agriculture – Data on rates charged for various crop and livestock operations and lease agreements in Colorado based on survey data.

Forage Testing & Alternatives

Alternative forages can be a money saving strategy because the cost of hay can increase substantially in drought. Check out the resources below for more info. If you do choose an alternative forage, make sure you get it tested. Some forages, such as sorghum, can concentrate nitrates in drought and stressful conditions. Excess nitrates can be toxic to livestock. Check out the resources below for more info.

• Alternative feeds for cattle during drought by R. Baird LeValley
• Sheep feeds and management guidelines during drought – 1.633  by S. LeValley
• Forage Testing Submittal Form – CSU Labs (testing for nitrates)
• Ward Labs for forage testing

Emergency Planning and Preparedness

• Emergency Planning & Preparedness – Colorado Department of Agriculture
• Animals in Disaster Resources for Emergency Managers, CART’s and Animal Emergency Responders
• Farmers and Ranchers Get Ready: Protect Your Operation Before, During, and After a Disaster – Fact Sheet
• Caring for Livestock After Disaster
• Caring for Livestock Before Disaster
• Caring for Livestock During Disaster

Stress Management Resources

• Managing Stress During Tough Times – Fact Sheet by R.J. Fetsch
• Making Decisions and Coping Well with Drought – Fact Sheet by R.J Fetsch
• Farm and Ranch Family Stress and Depression: A Checklist and Guide for Making Referrals – Fact Sheet by R.J. Fetsch and Roger T. Williams
• Colorado Crisis Services
• Colorado Department of Ag – Crisis Services

Rangeland Management During Drought

Drought Planning

• The Colorado Ag Drought Planning Handbook
• An Easy to Use System for Developing a Drought Management Contingency Plan By Doug Tolleson
• Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch: A Planning Guide for Great Plains Ranchers University of Nebraska – Lincoln |National Drought Mitigation Center

“Triggers” in Drought Management

“Triggers” are used in drought planning as a specific sign that activates a management response. A trigger might be percent of average precipitation, or a stock pond that fills (or doesn’t) by a certain date, couple with an action like “de-stock by a certain amount” or other action. For example from a Nebraska ranch has formulated their trigger this way:

• They usually receive 75% of the precipitation between Nov. and June 15.
• If they receive less than 80% of average precipitation between Nov. 1 and June 15, they estimate that the forage crop will be reduced by 30%, and de-stock accordingly (de-stock 30% by weight).

Resources for creating “triggers” include:

• The Colorado Ag Drought Planning Handbook
• An Easy to Use System for Developing a Drought Management Contingency Plan By Doug Tolleson
• Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch: A Planning Guide for Great Plains Ranchers University of Nebraska – Lincoln |National Drought Mitigation Center

For eastern Colorado, GrassCast is one tool to understand forecasts for forage production. This tool gives estimates based on precipitation scenarios and years of rangeland production data. https://grasscast.unl.edu/

Poisonous Plants | Toxicity Issues

• Managing Western Whorled Milkweed – Fact Sheet By Bob Hammon and C.H. Pearson

• Nitrate Poisoning – Fact Sheet 1.610  by J.C. Whittier

• Fog Fever – Acute Bovine Pulmonary Emphysema and Edema – Fact Sheet  UC Davis Vet Veiws

• Cyanobacteria Poisoning (Blue-green Algae) by Miranda Meehan & Michelle Mostrom

• Why livestock die from eating poisonous plants by Beth Burritt Fact sheet here

Veterinarian and Diagnostic Information

• Western Slope Veternarian Diagnostic Lab 
• CSU Diagnostic Laboratories
• Brief information on nitrate toxicity

Cattle Market Report Lists

• Livestock Marketing Information Center
• Other resources

Weather & Climate Information

• The National Drought Mitigation Center’s monitoring dashboard features the latest data on drought and precipitation conditions, outlooks, on-the-ground reports, vegetative stress, forage productivity and more, organized around the key questions, such as “what is my current drought situation?”, “How does this year compare to last year?” and “What can I expect for forage production this year?” A user who clicks on the question about drought severity, and how it compares to past droughts, is led to an interactive display that presents current U.S. Drought Monitor conditions and allows for historical comparisons. Other common questions lead users to other vital resources that can be displayed on a U.S. map, and used together, the map’s layers provide a clear picture of current drought conditions and expectations.

Other Sources for Climate and Weather information

• The Colorado Ag Drought Planning Handbook
• One-stop shopping for climate and weather tools – Rocky Mountain High Plains Climate Dashboard
• Intermountain West Drought Early Warning System – This site is updated weekly with recommendations that they send directly to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
• Wildland Fire Assessment System