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Moisture Needed to Renew Western Range
By Jennifer Carrico
Friday, December 6, 2024 12:42PM CST

REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- The ongoing drought in many Western states has led some cattle producers to start cutting back on their herd. Central Wyoming cow-calf producer Robert Pingetzer says their ranch can't take another year of drought.

"We live in the upper desert in central Wyoming. We use rotational grazing to allow for more grass regrowth. We don't want to max graze our range. We plan for the dry years," said the Shoshoni, Wyoming, rancher. "But if we have another year of drought, we could have a problem."

Through rotational grazing, Pingetzer has been able to have some extra feed in some pastures, which will extend his grazing season on both ends of cows being on range.

Producers in central Wyoming rely on the moisture received in the early spring to help throughout the year since their annual rainfall is only 10-11 inches. Typically, cows are sent to summer pastures by May 20 to June 1, but a lot depends on the moisture.

"That two weeks the end of May can really make or break our pasture conditions, to get the cool season grasses growing," Pingetzer said. "We had snow in October, which soaked in since we weren't frozen yet. That will help into the winter and spring."

WEATHER IS CHAOTIC IN THE WEST

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said the western U.S. has been in a chaotic pattern in November and that has led to changing conditions for most of the region. Weather has been more active with systems moving through, which has helped to reduce or limit drought from Washington down through California and across Nevada to Colorado. However, not all areas are in good shape, parts of the Colorado River Valley in Arizona down into northwest Mexico, have been missing out.

"Wyoming is in particular trouble. Drought covers almost 100% of the state and patches of D3 (extreme drought) cover large portions of the Plains in the east. Systems have generally split around this state and soil moisture is very low," Baranick said.

The chaotic nature may continue through the winter and into spring, which is normal for this area. Wintertime is the wetter time of year for the Interior West, especially across the coast, according to Baranick. "Most of the precipitation the region receives occurs between November and March and is a source for irrigation due to snowmelt throughout the rest of the year. Snowfall in the mountains will be very important, but there may be some concerns going forward," he said.

Pingetzer said in the high desert, where they ranch, they don't rely on snowfall as much for ground moisture, but rather to fill streams. Wells are relied on for watering cows in most pastures.

They also are fortunate to have hay ground on an irrigation project, which means they generally have enough hay stored for the winter and spring months. Most of their cows are close to the farmstead now until calving next spring. One group will stay on a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) winter allotment through the first of the year. "If we can wait until June 1 to turn cows out, we can gain a month of grazing in the fall. That early spring moisture really makes a difference," he adds.

WINTER FORECAST THROUGH THE REGION

Baranick said La Nina conditions have been very slow to develop, but there are some signs that it takes hold here in December. If this happens, it should lead to lower precipitation for the southern half of the western region, from California to Colorado down to the Mexican border. Drought may develop and the mountain snowpack may be lower for irrigation purposes going into the 2025 season. That includes Colorado, which is currently in good shape, though earlier snow has been tough to melt off in the High Plains.

"The northern half of the western region typically sees above-normal precipitation, but that is more true in the Pacific Northwest and less likely farther inland across eastern Idaho and Wyoming," he said. Wyoming may continue to suffer through drought over the winter that may cause issues going into spring.

Pingetzer said while they've survived the drought thus far, another year of drought could lead to herd reduction, similar to what they experienced in 2013 when they sold a large number of cows. Rangeland continues to suffer without moisture.

"Producers in north-central Wyoming are suffering even more. Some are selling cows, others are looking for hay, it just depends on the ranch," he said. "We may see more ranchers across the state in that situation without rain."

La Nina should remain weak once it develops this winter, allowing other sub-seasonal climate drivers to take control more frequently. Baranick said this could lead to disruptions and uncertainty to this overall forecast in the western states.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com.

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal


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