Drought-related Resources
(Note: resources will be added as they are updated and available. If you have questions or need more information, please contact IBC.)
Lack of rain and soil moisture, warmer temperatures and windy conditions can mean changes to your grazing options, feed supplies and management practices.
Check out this list of resources from Iowa State University and other appropriate sources.
Iowa State University People
Iowa
State University Extension and Outreach beef program specialists
Iowa
State University Extension and Outreach field agronomists
Iowa
State University Extension and Outreach farm management program specialists
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach campus specialists
Iowa
State University Extension and Outreach drought information page
Meetings and programs
Water and other resources
Coping with Drought-Affected Private Water Supply Wells (ISU)
Cow-calf considerations
Creep
Feeding Beef Calves (UNL)
Dry
summer corn forage harvest options and management strategies (ISU)
Early
Weaning In Drought Conditions (ISU)
Feeding Drought Corn Silage to Beef Cows (ISU)
Late
summer forage options and management strategies in drought or dry summer (ISU)
Managing
Cow Herd Feed Needs (ISU)
Strategies
to Manage Cows in Dry Conditions (ISU news release)
Stretching
Hay Supplies for Beef Cow Herds, IBC45 (ISU)
Tips
for Strategic Culling, Cow Body Condition Scoring and Replacement Selection
Scoring and Replacement Selection (KSU)
Wean Calves Early to Reduce Pasture Demands (ISU news release)
Grazing, Pastures, Forages, Grain
Emergency grazing of CRP acres extended to Nov. 30 (USDA news release)
Aflatoxins in Corn, PM 1800 (ISU)
Aflatoxin in Iowa information from Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (ISU)
Aflatoxin information from the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative (ISU)
Aflatoxins and related information ( 32-min. video segment of 8-21-12 ISU E&O webinar)
Aflatoxins/Mycotoxins in Corn and Guidelines for Cattle Feeding (27-min video presentation by ISU's Steve Ensley for UNL webinar 9-4-12)
Aflatoxin testing form pdf (for aflatoxin/mycotoxin testing only, done by ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory)
Alternatives
for Drought-damaged Soybeans – Bean Crop or Forage (ISU)
Determining
Moisture Level of Immature Corn Silage, Recovery 14 (ISU)
Getting
Additional Forage this Fall (UWisc)
Hay and forage information, including hay exchange and sales for Iowa, U.S.,
and international locations (IBC website)
High Nitrates Carryover Likely In Drought-Stressed Corn (ISU)
High-Concentrate
Feeding Beef Cows to Reduce Hay Needs (ISU)
Interpreting your forage test result IBC51 (ISU)
Iowa
Crop Progress and Condition
Making
Quality Corn Silage (ISU)
Sampling Fields for Nitrate Levels in Corn (ISU)
Short-Term
and Supplemental Forages, IBC 07-9 (ISU)
Soybeans
for forage, Recovery 19 (ISU)
Stretch Pastures in Drought Conditions (ISU news release)
Supplementing Distillers Grain
to Beef Cattle Grazing on Pasture
Take Precautions When Feeding Drought Damaged Corn as Silage
(ISU news release)
Using Drought Silage in Growing Cattle Diets
Herd and animal health
Blue-green Algae a Concern for Livestock (ISU news release)
Blue-green Algae (ISU)
Nitrates
in Livestock Feed, Beef Cattle Handbook BCH-5610 (UIUC)
Nitrate
Toxicity IBC 50 (ISU)
Potential
for High Nitrate Levels in Drought-Stressed Corn Silage (NCSU)
Preventing
Nitrate Problems in Drought-Damaged Corn (TAMU)
What's
Ahead for Cows on Drought-stricken Pastures? IBC 49 (ISU)
Pricing and Financial tools
CRP
Cost Calculator to determine forage cost when using emergency release of
CRP ground (ISU)
Feed
Energy Index spreadsheet (ISU)
Feeding Value of Drought-Damaged Corn Silage for Beef Cattle (ISU)
Livestock
Enterprise Budgets, Ag Decision Maker (ISU)
Pricing alternative feedstuffs/By-Product Feed Price Listing (MU)
Weather maps and reports
Drought
monitor forecasts
Midwest
drought monitor map
U.S.
drought monitor maps