With the current drought expected to last through spring
2000, Georgia small
grains and livestock farmers are facing tough decisions.
“Fall is typically the driest three months of the year,” said
David
Stooksbury, state climatologist and professor of
engineering with the University
of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences.
Consequently, he said, “we’re coming off a summer drought
into a normally dry
period that, historically, won’t get us out of drought.”
Farmers looking to plant small grains for sale or to feed
livestock are somewhat
used to these conditions. But this year, as dry as it’s been,
they’re having
to decide not just what grains to plant, but in some cases,
whether planting
will be worth it.
Dewey
Lee, a CAES Extension
Service agronomist, said the late-September and early-
October rains were
helpful to some farmers.
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J.
Cannon, UGA CAES 
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| CONTINUING DROUGHT
CUTTING HAY PRODUCTION Drought conditions that have persisted for more than a year has livestock farmers concerned about their hay supplies for the coming winter. But alternative feeds such as crop residues in corn and cotton fields, can allow fields that have gotten rain in late Sept. and early Oct. to produce some forage. This south Georgia field, while better than some, isn’t as thick with bales as specialists would like to see. That leaves the farmer hoping for rain to boost production. |
“Those rains were excellent for farmers overseeding pastures
for winter grazing,”
he said. “Planting for small grain production, however, won’t
start until late
October in north Georgia and early November in south
Georgia.”
Lee said if small-grain growers get equally timely rains,
even a little rain
can be enough for a “fair crop” of wheat, rye or oats if
managed carefully.
“If farmers can wait until a rain to plant, small grains can
get established,”
Lee said. “The crop itself won’t grow or produce grain until
it gets more rain,
but at least then it’ll be ready when the rain comes.”
With grain prices plummeting, farmers are thinking twice
before investing in
any crop.
“But as we look into the future, the potential is there for a
profit — like
most years — with careful management and marketing,” he
said.
Small-grain decisions are affecting Georgia cattle farmers,
too, said Robert
Stewart, a CAES livestock scientist. Many pastures and hay
fields have suffered
from the drought. Some farmers, Stewart said, are two or three
hay cuttings
behind normal.
To cut costs and improve efficiency, he said, farmers are
culling the three
O’s: old cows, open (not pregnant) cows and ornery cows.
In the long run, as farmers sell their cows that aren’t
making money, they’re
also decreasing the supply for later. “That means if cattlemen
can find ways
to keep their cows healthy through this winter,” Stewart
said, “they’re likely
to get more for them at the sale next year.”
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That incentive has cattlemen looking for alternate feed
sources including crop
residues left after harvest in cotton and corn fields.
Residues offer a double advantage to cattle farmers. “It’s
essentially free
feed,” Stewart said. “An acre of crop residue can support a
cow for 30 days.”
That month also gives newly planted small grains a chance to
get established
before cattle begin grazing.
If the cows go on overseeded pasture or just-emerged small
grains, as they
eat, they’ll tear the plants up by the roots, Stewart
said. “Farmers would just
be shooting themselves in the foot if they don’t wait for the
pasture or grain
to establish.”
Lee and Stewart offer management options for farmers who get
a little rain.
And Stooksbury said that’s just what they’re likely to get.
“Nothing short of a tropical weather system stalling over
Georgia will get
us the 9-plus inches of rain we need to break the drought,” he
said. “Fall weather
and La Nina are working against us on this one.”
