Drought & Forage Management
his Web site offers a compilation of drought-related forage management information written by crop experts from throughout the U.S. Corn Belt. The articles are organized by subject area. You can either scroll down the page to locate an area of interest or click on the list below to "jump" quickly to the topic area.
- General forage or pasture management
- Alternative feeds & feeding strategies
- Silage issues
- Value and pricing of drought-stressed corn silage
- Utilizing soybean as forage
- Production economics & tax management
- Nitrate & prussic acid poisoning issues
- Aflatoxin and other mycotoxin issues (in Row Crop page)
- Other drought information resources
Purdue Animal Science Extension specialists also have a Web site devoted to drought and livestock issues located at https://ag.purdue.edu/ansc/Pages/Drought.aspx. Check out the information at that site for more forage-related topics.
Also check out Purdue's Forage Information Web site at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages for more information related to forage management.
Because this and the other drought-related crops pages may be updated frequently during times of drought, please "refresh" or "reload" your Web browser to force an update to the most current version.
When in doubt about the applicability of the information to your geographic area of the country, please contact the author(s) of the articles or consult with your own university Extension specialists.
These links were last verified July 2012. The dates in parentheses following the publication titles refer to the year of publication. Please send comments or dead link alerts to R.L. (Bob) Nielsen (rnielsen at purdue.edu).
General forage or pasture management
- Alfalfa management considerations in a drought (2012)
- Ohio State Univ
- Considering Your Grazing, Haying, and Silage Options for Herbicide-treated Corn and Soybean (2012)
- Univ of Missouri
- Drought and Residue Harvest through Grazing or Baling (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Drought Management to Get Through the Crisis (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Forage harvest and re-crop considerations following these drought conditions (2012)
- Univ of Wisconsin
- Getting the Most from Drought Stressed Forages (2012)
- Univ of Wisconsin
- Management Tips for Drought-stressed Forages (2012
- Iowa State Univ.
- Managing alfalfa during drought (2009)
- New Mexico State University
- Managing Small Acreage Pastures During and After Drought (2003)
- Colorado State Univ
- Managing the Forage Shortage (2012)
- Purdue Univ (Indiana)
- Seedling Alfalfa Management During Drought (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Tips for Grazing Drought-Stressed Standing Corn (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
Silage issues
- Chopping Soybean for Silage (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Corn Silage Value Calculator: An Excel™ Worksheet (2012)
- Purdue Univ
- Consider Herbicide Restrictions with Drought-Damaged Corn or Soybeans (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Consider Nutrient Removal and Ground Cover Costs When Harvesting Corn for Silage (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Determining a Value for Corn Silage (2012)
- Purdue Univ.
- Determining the Value of Drought-Stressed Corn (FS-483) (2000)
- University of Maryland
- Drought-Stressed Corn for Silage (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Estimating Preharvest Silage Yields (2009)
- Ohio State University
- Feeding Value and Pricing Drought-Stressed Corn Silage (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Harvesting and Feeding Drought-Stressed Corn (FS-433) (1992)
- University of Maryland
- Harvesting Corn for Silage under Drought Conditions (2005)
- University of Kentucky
- Harvesting drought-damaged corn for silage (2012)
- Michigan State Univ
- Making Silage from Drought-Damaged Corn (2012)
- Univ of Missouri
- Making Silage out of Dry Corn (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Management of Drought-Stressed Corn for Silage (2007)
- Univ of Delaware
- Managing Drought-Stressed Corn for Silage(1988)
- University of Florida
- Pre-harvest Intervals of Fungicide Applications for Crops Cut for Silage/Forage (2012)
- Purdue Univ
- Salvaging Soybeans as Hay or Silage (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Should You Hay or Cut Silage from Drought-Damaged Corn Fields? (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Take Precautions When Feeding Drought-Damaged Corn as Silage (2012)
- Iowa State Univ
- The Use and Pricing of Drought-Stressed Corn (2008)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Using Drought-Stressed Corn for Forage (2006)
- University of Minnesota
Alternative feeds & feeding strategies
- Considerations for Late Summer-planted Forage Crops (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Double Cropping for Forage Crop Production: How Much Soil Water is Needed Before you Sow? (2012)
- Univ of Nebraska
- Considerations for harvesting drought-stressed corn (2012)
- Univ of Kentucky
- Diverse Crops Provide Opportunity Following Corn Forage Harvest (2012)
- Purdue Univ
- Warm-season grass as a livestock feed during the drought (2012)
- Michigan State Univ
- Feeding Corn Stover to Ruminants (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Alternative Feeds for Cattle During a Drought (2009)
- Colorado State Univ
- Alternative Feeding Strategies for Cows and Calves Due to Drought Related Forage Shortages (2012)
- Colorado State Univ
- Drought Feeding Strategies (1998)
- Clemson University (South Carolina)
- Corn Stalks and Drought-Damaged Corn Hay as Emergency Feed for Beef Cattle (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Culling the Cow Herd in Drought Situations (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Current Status of Recycled Poultry Bedding(Poultry Litter) Feeding Regulations (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Ten-point Plan for Winter Feeding Beef Cows (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Feeding Potato Processing Wastes and Culls to Cattle (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Wheat Middlings - Another Alternative (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Feeding Whole Soybeans to Feedlot Cattle (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Feeding Options for Cattle Producers During A Summer Drought (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Nutritional Strategies for Receiving and Feeding Early-Weaned Calves (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Limit-Feeding Cows on a Corn-Based Diet (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Coping With a Short Forage Supply (2007)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Some Options for Supplementing Inadequate Forage Supply (2007)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Beef Cattle Management Alternatives for Coping with Short Pasture (2002)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Drought-Damaged Corn as Livestock Feed (2007)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Considerations for S T R E T C H I N G Forage Supplies (1996)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Producing Emergency or Supplemental Forage for Livestock (1988)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Incorporating High Nitrate Feeds Into Feeding Programs (2002)
- South Dakota State Univ
- Harvesting and Feeding Drought-Stressed Corn (2002)
- South Dakota State Univ
- Evaluating Hay Quality (FS-644)
- University of Maryland
Utilizing soybean as forage
- Harvesting drought-stressed soybeans for forage (2012)
- Michigan State Univ
- Harvesting Soybeans for Hay? Consider Prior Use of Chemicals (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Soybeans as forage for grazing, hay or silage (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Considerations When Using Soybeans as a Forage (1996)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Drought Damaged Soybean for Hay or Silage (2012)
- Univ of Missouri
Production economics & tax management
- Coping with Drought: Evaluating the Economics of Livestock Producers’ Options (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Donation of Hay, a Charitable Tax Deduction? (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Income Tax Issues of Weather-Related Sales of Livestock (2007)
- North Carolina State University
Nitrate & prussic acid poisoning issues
- Beware of Nitrates (2012)
- Colorado State Univ
- Nitrate-N distribution within drought-stressed corn plants (2012)
- Michigan State Univ
- Where to test forages for nitrates (2012)
- Ohio State Univ
- Nitrate accumulation in drought-stressed corn (2012)
- Michigan State Univ.
- Nitrate analysis is important for drought-stressed corn plants destined for forage (2012)
- Purdue Univ (Indiana)
- VIDEO: Instructions on Conducting a Quick Nitrate Toxicity Test (2012)
- Purdue Univ
- Animal Considerations for Nitrate Toxicity When Using Whole Plant Corn as a Feed (2012)
- Purdue Univ
- Nitrate toxicity in drought-stressed corn (2012)
- Kansas State Univ
- Nitrate Levels in Drought Damaged Forages (2012)
- Univ of Kentucky
- Guidelines for Nitrate Testing and Silage Options (2012)
- Univ of Kentucky
- Nitrate Poisoning (2011)
- Colorado State Univ
- Strategies to Minimize Nitrate Levels in Stressed Corn (2012)
- Colorado State Univ
- Common Poisoning Problems Under Drought Conditions (1998)
- Clemson University (South Carolina)
- Nitrate accumulation in drought stressed corn and forages: sampling and testing
- Michigan State University
- Mold and Mycotoxin Issues in Dairy Cattle: Effects, Prevention and Treatment (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Nitrate Management in Beef Cattle (2007)
- North Carolina State University
- Evaluating Potential for Nitrate Problems in Corn (2007)
- Ohio State University
- Forage Nitrate Testing and Making Feeding Recommendations Based on the Results (2007)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Minimizing the Prussic Acid Poisoning Hazard in Forages (1983)
- Purdue University (Indiana)
- Forage Nitrate Poisoning (2011)
- South Dakota State Univ
- Nitrate Poisoning of Livestock (FS-426)
- University of Maryland
- Prussic Acid Poisoning of Livestock (FS-427)
- University of Maryland
Aflatoxin and other mycotoxin issues
Other drought information resources
- Managing the Forage Shortage
- A Purdue Univ Web site offering resources to help producers get through the winter on low forage resources.
- Forage Finder
- Purdue Univ.; an online tool to locate or offer sources of forage in times of need.
- Beef Cattle and Forage Drought Information (2012)
- Ohio State Univ
- Drought survival guide for using drought-stricken corn for silage (2012)
- Pennsylvania State University
- Hay Net
- USDA-Farm Services Agency developed this website for producers to list information concerning the need for hay or the availability of hay.
- Coping with Drought
- A comprehensive listing of on-line drought-related information available from North Dakota State University.
- Agricultural Drought Task Force
- Texas A&M Univ