Presented by Kirk Gadzia, Resource Management Services, LLC

Excerpt from Program:
"'You can't call it a drought anymore, because it's going over to a drier climate. No one says the Sahara is in drought.' - Richard Seager, New York Times Magazine.

"Scientists insist that the Southwest is going to become drier in the decades to come as a result of global climate changes. Some say that this pattern is already in place. Therefore, if we want to continue ranching, we must adapt our management strategies to meet this challenge. We can't change the amount of rainfall; however, we can make whatever rainfall we do receive more effective through better planning and management.

"Whether the drought we are experiencing is part of the natural cycle or the climate is actually becoming drier over time, the major principles of drought management still apply. The major principles of drought management must deal with four areas: people, finances, land and livestock. The key to using these principles is the establishment of a drought plan incorporating the existing conditions, as well as, pinpointing specific management actions that will help make the most of a bad situation. Drought management includes both your prior preparations and your actions, before and after a drought.

"A drought management toolbox includes: Animal Days per Acre Assessments of forage, utilization of the world-wide-web for technical information and forecasting, grazing planning, technological tools, such as, electrical fence and portable water, water harvesting from roads and other opportunities, riparian pastures, ensuring enterprises are compatible with drought risk, and ultra high density or "MOB" grazing.

"Remember, it doesn't rain grass. When a drought finally ends, the forage base will have to be rebuilt from the soil surface up and below."