Agricultural News
Oklahoma Moisture is a Good Start But Much More is Needed, Derrell Peel Says
Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:46:22 CST
Writing in the latest Cow-Calf Newsletter, Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, takes a look at how the recent precipitation is impacting producers.
Recent rain and snow in Oklahoma has provided valuable moisture and provides a spark of hope for Oklahoma cattle producers. Most all of Oklahoma has received significant precipitation in the past 30 days in a series of rain and snow events. The eastern half of the state has generally received between 2 and 4 inches; the southwest part of the state received 1.5 to 2.5 inches and the northwest part of the state up to 2 inches. Moisture was the lightest in some of the driest areas of the state including the north-central region west through the Panhandle which received less than 1.5 inches. At this writing, a winter storm is hitting much of the region with heavy snow preceded by rain which will add to that moisture total.
The most immediate benefit of the moisture is for winter wheat. Depending on the status of the wheat, the recent moisture may or may not help grain yield but will undoubtedly provide some forage growth, even for wheat that is just now germinating. This will provide some critically needed forage for cattle now and may provide some hay production later. Other cool-season forages, such as fescue and ryegrass, will likewise begin to respond with new growth soon. It will take continued regular additions to the current moisture in order to recharge soil moisture and support warm season forage production by May.
Slow and steady rains will do a lot for forage and crop production potential in Oklahoma but the cattle industry faces the additional challenge of increasingly limited water supplies. There is a critical need for some heavy rain events that will generate runoff to recharge surface water supplies. Multiple heavy rains are likely needed to provide sufficient runoff to replenish ponds. However, soaking rains that begin soil moisture recharge will increase the effective runoff of even a single heavy rain.
While the moisture is welcomed by all, the wet, cold weather of late does have the short run drawback of increasing cattle nutritional requirements and may add additional demands on already limited feed supplies. It is an extremely difficult time with highly variable conditions that may impact producer decisions in the next few weeks. The current moisture raises hopes of some relief as spring approaches. However, hope is not a management strategy and producers must continue to monitor conditions, resources and whatever limited alternatives are available to them in the near future. Producers need production and marketing plans for all contingencies of drought worsening to drought moderation. By April, it will likely be clear whether conditions will be improved or significantly worse. In the meantime, producers must react to a very dynamic set of production and market conditions.
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