But we haven't found it, and truthfully, I don't think it exists. Ranchers are left to make do with what they have, he said, and often times that means adjusting other operations of the ranch to insure top quality pastures. Part of that equation involves adjusting the stocking rates of a ranch, keeping in mind the wildlife uses of a given area. Although most ranchers are focused on what their cattle eat, they also have to take into consideration all of the other animals that forage the area, such as deer, turkey and quail. But in addition to stocking rates, ranchers also need to make the best use of what rains do fall, Nelle said, by increasing rainfall infiltration and making sure the best selection of plants catch those rains.
Infiltration is increased by ground cover.
Bare patches of soil don't catch and hold rainwater as well as those with some sort of mulch or dry vegetation. Bare dirt only washes away and decreases the chance of pastureland recovery. Even without knowing every species of grass in a given pasture, ranchers can strive to build better grasslands by grooming the taller breeds of a pasture. Often, those breeds stay greener longer and offer cattle more palatable forage than any of the shorter grasses growing. Sometimes reviving a pasture may mean letting it stay idle for a season or two, Nelle said, and with many ranchers already thinning herds because of lack of water availability, it could be a good time to let some of those pastures rebuild before they are restocked.