Jerry Wauters hopes the parched areas of Alberta get plenty of moisture in the coming months – for the sake of cattle producers and for the sake of pastures that were heavily grazed this year.
A combination of heavy grazing and drought in much of the province could dramatically lower the carrying capacity of pastures next year, especially if there is little precipitation over the next few months.
“The grazing impact is showing up pretty heavily right now,” said Wauters, a regional grazing reserve manager with Alberta’s Public Lands.
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“These drought conditions are probably worse than what we had in the Thirties.”
Pasture health is monitored by clipping plants at various sites in the province. The clippings help tell how much forage a pasture is yielding.
Of the 29 sites where clippings were taken in southern Alberta this year, 23 sites showed extreme to severe reductions in yield. Some sites had only 12 percent of normal forage production, Wauters said.
If the dry conditions continue, use of grazing reserves will likely have to be cut significantly next year. In southern Alberta, those reserves cover 250,000 acres.
Extreme drought has also affected about five million acres of crown gazing in southern Alberta. Land that was overgrazed will have less carrying capacity next year, even if there is ample snow and rainfall between now and spring.
Grant Lastiwka, an Alberta Agriculture agronomist, said some pasture in southern and eastern Alberta has endured three consecutive years of drought.
The stress on public and private pastures has become evident. The litter or residue that keeps soil cool and traps moisture is being stripped away on overgrazed pastures.
Overgrazing also leaves less plant material to promote growth the following year. Native species can take several years to recover from the damage caused by overgrazing during drought.
Lastiwka and Wauters encourage producers to leave litter on pastures that are still being grazed. They also encourage restraint for next year when deciding how soon to release cattle onto spring pastures.
At the same time, however, they recognize the difficulties faced by producers.
“We know there’s desperation out there because of the high prices being paid for feed,” Lastiwka said.
Barry Adams, range management specialist with Alberta’s Public Lands division, sums up the 2002 outlook with these points:
- Plant vigour and litter reserves have seriously declined. Multiple years of favourable moisture and grazing management will be required to restore rangeland productivity.
- Range managers must prevent further declines in rangeland condition.
- With continued drought conditions this winter and next spring, limited grazing opportunities will be available in 2002.
- Even a return to more normal precipitation over the winter and spring will not restore the range productivity to normal levels in 2002.
In Saskatchewan, the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration is also thinking about pasture management next year.
Don Shaw, acting manager of the PFRA’s land management division, said stocking rates will have to be reduced on PFRA pastures that suffered from drought this year.
The PFRA has 62 pastures in Saskatchewan. Those worst affected by drought are in western Saskatchewan around Kindersley and Rosetown, and in the southwestern corner of the province around Consul, Maple Creek and Swift Current.
Stocking rates on those pastures will likely be 25 to 40 percent below normal, said Shaw. The reductions, which could be even greater if drought continues through the winter, will be achieved by shortening the grazing season.
The PFRA also has 24 community pastures in Manitoba. Shaw anticipates a normal season for them next year.
