Average would be more than 18 inches by now. Some surrounding communities have been even drier than that. Ranchers must manage any current grass until April 1999 when warm-season grasses again will begin growing. Unless you began destocking by about the first of July, you are running the risk of causing long-term damage to the range grasses by overgrazing. Meanwhile, grass roots gather raw materials, water, nitrates and minerals that are converted into plant food by the leaves.
Roots also serve as storehouses for food.
This food is essential for regrowth. Some 95 percent of plant food is taken in from the air, with 5 percent taken from the soil. Short roots mean less future grass production. So overgrazing not only destroys the leaves but the roots as well. A key species is defined as a grass livestock readily consume that is routinely found across the pasture.