Planning for drought

Colorado State University

• Financial emergency preparedness.
  A systematic plan for keeping track of important documents can save you hours of anxious searching for misplaced items.
• Living on an irregular income.
  Dealing with irregular income to pay personal living expenses requires planning and management skills.
• Long-term loan repayment options.
  Money borrowed for long-term capital investments usually is repaid in a series of annual, semi-annual or monthly payments. There are several ways to calculate the amount of these payments:
• Purchasing rural property in Colorado (PDF)
  Purchasing rural property, particularly in some parts of Colorado, requires consideration of additional factors by the prospective buyer.
• Water terminology.
  This fact sheet offers non-technical definitions of many of the commonly used water terms to help citizens better understand the principles that govern the use of water in Colorado.
• Climate change resiliency in Colorado. Best management practices for cropping systems. (PDF)
  Preparing for uncertain and complex climatic conditions will require adaptations in land management that create resiliency.
• Best management practices for corn. (PDF)
  Help recognize and mitigate corn problems as they appear in the field during the growing season. It is not designed to replace expert advice from crop consultants or to replace more in-depth resource materials.
• Impacts of outdoor growth of cannabis.
  Cannabis supports a diverse fauna of insects and other arthropods, both harmful and beneficial.
• Colorado forage guide. (PDF)
  This publication was produced to help small acreage landowners become familiar with livestock forage and grazing management.
• Climate change resiliency in Colorado. Best management practices for grazing systems. (PDF)
  It is important as producers to be prepared for severe circumstances to be able to recover quickly with minimal impact on their agricultural enterprises.
• Cover crops grown post-wheat for forage under dryland conditions in the High Plains. (PDF)
  Concerns about disrupting good wheat stubble, managing volunteer wheat to reduce disease transmission, and controlling weeds should be considered.
• Cover crops for grazing under dryland conditions in the High Plains.
  Many of the species currently recommended for use as cover crops are also good for forage production. Factors such as nutritive content and potential toxicities must be considered.
• Grass growth and response to grazing.
  Whether livestock graze native rangeland or tame pastures, grasses usually are the basis of the energy and nutrients for animal growth and maintenance.
• Management-intensive grazing on irrigated pasture.
  Requires an understanding of how plant, animal, soil, and environmental components work together to make management decisions (4).
• Irrigation ditches and their operation.
  Current western water law originated during the California gold rush in 1848.
• Irrigation needs for mixed vegetable farms.
  Factsheet describes the results of a mixed vegetable farm irrigation water application study over nine field growing seasons and the use of local weather station data as means to benchmark mixed vegetable farm water use.
• Fixing inefficient pumps to help save energy and water costs.
  Fact sheet considers the problem; inefficient pumps.
• Irrigation scheduling.
  The amount of water applied is determined by using a criterion to determine irrigation need and a strategy to prescribe how much water to apply in any situation.
• Micro irrigation for orchards.
  Micro-sprinkler irrigation has become established and widely used in Colorado orchards in recent years because of its potential to increase yields but more importantly because of the increased irrigation efficiency and decreased labor requirements.
• Small acreage irrigation guide. (PDF)
  Water Rights and Irrigation Management
• Seasonal water needs.
  Crop water use, consumptive use and evapotranspiration (ET), are terms used interchangeably to describe the water consumed by a crop.
• Subsurface drip irrigation.
  Subsurface drip irrigation is a low-pressure, high efficiency irrigation system that uses buried drip tubes or drip tape to meet crop water needs.
• Caring for livestock before a disaster.
  Fact sheet discusses the basic realities of livestock management before disasters occur.
• Long-term sustainable stocking rate in Eastern Colorado.
  Setting a stocking rate is one of the most important decisions that a livestock manager faces, both for their bottom line and the health of their land.
• Rainwater collection in Colorado.
  Information about the regulatory and health aspects of rainwater collection in Colorado.
• Solar-powered groundwater pumping systems.
  Solar-powered groundwater pumping systems are often considered for use in livestock and other remote watering applications instead of other forms of alternative energy because they are durable, can be mobile, and exhibit long-term economic benefits.

New Mexico State University

• Soil Health – Importance, Assessment, and Management Circular 694A
  Soil health has become pivotal for sustainable land management, especially in the face of land degradation, soil erosion, and weather uncertainties that are affecting the performance and productivity of agroecosystems in New Mexico and elsewhere.
• Soil Health – Importance, Assessment, and Management Circular 694B
  While awareness of soil health is increasing, it is important to have a good understanding of what soil health entails, how it is measured, and how to manage it for optimal and sustainable delivery of the ecosystem services that soils provide.
• Agronomic Principles to Help with Farming During Drought Periods
  Considering the vectors that make agriculture a challenging activity in New Mexico, this website offers a variety of strategies to keep farms productive even in drought.
• Understanding Soil Health for Production Agriculture in New Mexico
  A reference site to understand the importance of soil health management and strategies to keep productive land.
• Executive Summary Soil Health—Importance, Assessment, and Management
  A summary related to soil health articles, including related lectures for further reading,
• Soil Health—Importance, Assessment, and Management
  Detailed reading about soil health importance, proper management and aspects to keep in mind in order to have productive farming land.
• Principles of Cover Cropping for Arid and Semi-arid Farming Systems
  Benefits, challenges, types, and considerations for the application of cover crops for sustainable cropping in arid and semi-arid regions like New Mexico.
• Reducing Tillage in Arid and Semi-Arid Cropping Systems: A Case Overview
  Benefits, challenges, and considerations of reducing tillage in arid and semi-arid cropping systems.
• Managing Organic Matter in Farm and Garden Soils
  A detailed overview about the basics of organic matter, its role and importance in crop growth, and how to add it to crops.
• Biochar for Arid and Semi-arid Agricultural Soils
  Described as black carbon or charcoal made from biomass, this article focuses on biochar, its history, impact, effects, and application.
• Soil Quality of CRP Lands in Eastern New Mexico
  A tool for farmers to be aware of the quality of their land after an extended period in grasses, using data from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
• Appropriate Analyses for New Mexico Soils
  Procedures to do and institutions to contact in order to realize an appropriate analyses of soils in New Mexico.
• Drip Irrigation for Row Crops
  Deep description about the elements concerning drip irrigation processes.
• Palmer Amaranth Biology and Management
  Also known as careless weed, Palmer Amaranth is a plant that can bring some trouble to crops. To face this challenge, the cited guide provides information about the plant’s uses, attributes, and management.
• Forage Selection and Establishment for Irrigated Pastures and Hay in New Mexico
  To help farmers with forage selection processes, this guide provides instruction in selecting forage species, describing forages, and establishing irrigated pastures.
• Perennial Forage Species for Irrigated Pastures and Hay in New Mexico
  A detailed list of perennial forage species that can provide high productivity for irrigated pastures and hay in New Mexico.
• Selecting Alfalfa Varieties for New Mexico
  Considering that alfalfa hay remains New Mexico's number one cash crop, it is important to keep in mind some points when managing alfalfa crops. This article provides considerations to follow in alfalfa species selection.
• Small Grain Forages for New Mexico
  A reference that serves as an informative guide to assist in management of small grains grown for forage, focusing on cool-season, annual cereal crops grown specifically for use in both hay and silage systems.
• Annual Forage Species for Irrigated Pastures and Hay in New Mexico
  This publication describes annual forage species options, including preferred seasonal periods.
• Millets for Forage and Grain in New Mexico and West Texas
  A description of the term millet, different species of millet and the culture around it.

Oklahoma State University

• Livestock Risk Protection (LRP).
  When considering price risk management options, there are a few tools available to feeder cattle producers, such as futures and options contracts and various insurance programs.
• Economic viability of grain sorghum and corn as a function of irrigation capacity.
  Grain sorghum is often hailed as a crop with high water use efficiency and low input costs.
• Crop insurance limitation to adoption of irrigated grain sorghum.
  Recent economic analysis has found that grain sorghum can provide economic advantages when compared to corn as irrigation capacity declines to below 5 gallons per minute per acre in the Oklahoma Panhandle.
• Is rainfall index pasture, rangeland and forage insurance right for you?
  A risk management tool available to protect against low moisture and the subsequent production losses is the Rainfall Index Pasture,
• Pasture, Rangeland, Forage insurance program (PRF)
  The Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Insurance Program (PRF) is a pilot federal crop insurance program that provides insurance protection for perennial forage produced for grazing or harvested for hay.
• Evaluation of rainfall-index Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) forage crop insurance program and guidelines for producers.
  When rainfall is sufficiently lower than historical rainfall in the coverage area, the insurance policy holder receives an indemnity.
• Options for expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land.
  The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was designed to place qualified cropland into cover to minimize runoff and erosion for 10- or 15-year contract periods.
• Overview of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (generally known as the 2018 Farm Bill).
  This fact sheet provides an overview of commodity, conservation, crop insurance and disaster assistance.
• Whose water is it anyway? Comparing the water rights frameworks of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.
  Comparing the Water Rights Framework of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida
• Different kinds of water addressed by Oklahoma’s Water Law.
  Oklahoma’s water law separates water into three basic types: (1) diffused surface water, (2) water in definite streams, and (3) groundwater. Each of these types of water has unique characteristics, and each is handled differently under Oklahoma Law.
• General stream adjudications.
  An important part of water management is knowing how much of it is available.
• Diffuse surface runoff water law and rules in Oklahoma.
  Diffuse surface water (or “runoff” as it is referred to in the Oklahoma Water Law Handbook) is the only kind of water that can be truly owned without regulation of its use.
• National weather service: Climate outlooks serving agriculture.
  While extreme, localized weather events are hard to predict, the National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Prediction Center (CPC) Climate Outlooks can be used to used to better understand weather trends
• Fate of precipitation falling on Oklahoma cropland. (PDF)
  A simple irrigation checkup may reduce outdoor water use by helping identify problems with your irrigation system.
• Statewide estimated of potential groundwater recharge.
  Groundwater is water that is found naturally in aquifers, which are underground layers of permeable rock or unconsolidated materials.
• The Ogallala Aquifer.
  The Ogallala aquifer, also known as the High Plains aquifer, is the primary source of water for many communities throughout the High Plains region.
• Estimating water requirements for mature beef cows.
  An adequate supply of clean, fresh water is a critical component of maintaining healthy, productive livestock.
• Stocking rate determination on native rangeland.
  A proper stocking rate is defined as balancing the needs of the plants with the needs of the animals.
• Stocking rate: The key to successful livestock production.
  There are many important ingredients in a successful livestock production system. One of the most important tasks is to keep detailed records on livestock stocking rate, livestock performance, and forage production.
• Intensive early stocking.
  Intensive-early stocking (IES) is one form of grazing management that helps producers achieve many of these goals: to increase beef production, improve their rangeland for cattle grazing, diversify their operation and expand cattle marketing opportunities.
• Drought-tolerant plant selections for Oklahoma.
  The plants listed are targeted for Oklahoma City specifically with many also suitable for the entire state of Oklahoma. All selections were chosen for their heat and drought tolerance as well as commercial availability.
• Management strategies for rangeland and introduced pastures.
  The differences in rangelands and introduced-forage pastures and management strategies required for each.
• Irrigated agriculture in Oklahoma.
  An overall picture of the state of irrigated agriculture in Oklahoma.
• Classification of irrigation water quality.
  Test results, their interpretation, and a general recommendation on suitability of the water for irrigation use are reported.
• Understanding your irrigation water test report.
  Water testing is an important first step in irrigation development to determine if your water source contains salts which could damage your soil, reduce crop yields, or even kill your plants.
• Comparative energy costs for irrigation pumping.
  Increasing energy prices require irrigation farmers to consider future availability as well as price when comparing energy alternatives.
• Smart irrigation technology: Controllers and sensors.
  Irrigation system efficiency is dependent upon several factors including design, installation and specific site conditions.
• Irrigation water flow measurement.
  Discuss a few basic methods of water flow measurement.
• Surface irrigation systems.
  General information on key aspects of this historic technology that is still in use in many parts of the world.
• Managing pressure in the home irrigation system.
  Discuss pressure management as a tool for improving irrigation efficiency.
• Agricultural irrigation with reclaimed water: Oklahoma regulation.
  It is necessary to explore different and more reliable sources of water to meet future demands.
• Understanding cotton irrigation requirements in Oklahoma.
  Making the most of available water is critical in modern production agriculture. Crop physiologists and irrigation engineers use the term water use efficiency (WUE) to describe crop response to this critical resource.
• Considerations for cotton planting and early season growth.
  The first two to three weeks of the cotton season is a critical period to monitor growth and development of the crop.
• Choosing which cotton varieties to grow.
  When it comes to variety selection in Oklahoma, several factors are important to consider.
• Soil moisture-sensing systems for improving irrigation scheduling.
  Assist producers with selecting the right type of soil moisture-monitoring device to ensure their investment results in useful information for their irrigation scheduling.

Texas A&M

• Rangeland drought management – planning is key to surviving drought.
  Drought management is often just a survival strategy. However, even survival requires that you have a plan flexible enough to deal with the individual circumstances of each drought as it comes.
• Rangeland resource management – strategic planning.
  Strategic planning is the process of determining the direction your enterprise will take.
• Planning for drought.
  Using Historical Rainfall Patterns to Plan for Drought in the High Plains
• Total Resource Management.
  Rangeland Resource Management for Texans
• Alternative farm business models.
  Several progressive producers across the country have used new approaches to capture economies of scale, reduce costs, improve asset utilization, and employ higher levels of technical expertise.
• Starting a sustainable agriculture business.
  Sustainable agriculture involves using innovative strategies to produce and distribute an agricultural product.
• Financial management tool.
  A balance sheet is a statement of the financial condition of a business at a specific time. It is one of the principal reports provided by a good accounting system.
• How productivity and land use can affect tax valuation of land.
  Farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness managers— as well as governmental officials—need to understand these tax exemptions and how revisions to them might affect agriculture.
• Basics of Texas Water Law.
  Texas property owners need to understand the basics of Texas water law as well as their rights and legal limitations related to the use of water on their property.
• Information on converting CRP land to farming or ranching – process and considerations. (PDF)
  CRP helps protect topsoil by taking highly erodible land out of crop production and establishing permanent vegetative cover in its place.
• Crop insurance terms and definitions..
  This publication defines many of the common terms producers should be familiar with when making crop insurance decisions.
• CRC.
  CRC protects a producer from loss of revenue resulting from low prices, low yields, or a combination of the two
• Group Risk Plan (GRP) Insurance.
  Low-cost protection against widespread crop losses.
• Basics of the Multiple Peril Crop Insurance program.
  The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) administers the federal crop insurance program in partnership with private sector insurers known as reinsurance companies
• Pasture Rangeland and Forage Insurance in Texas
  Discusses Rainfall Index Program.
• Grazing systems for profitable ranching.
  Profit depends upon the managerial ability of the operator, who must produce livestock and wildlife at the lowest cost through good herd and forage management, combined with sound economic and marketing procedures.
• Stocking rate decisions.
  The stocking rate for grazing animals is a crucial decision which affects the rangeland and, therefore, the success of the ranch.
• Leasing Texas Rangelands
  Drought considerations when determining minimum and maximum stocking rates for lease agreements.
• Horsepower requirements and sizing irrigation supply pipelines. (PDF)
  Outlines how to calculate the horsepower requirements of irrigation pumps and how to use this information in sizing supply pipelines.
• Grain sorghum irrigation.
  Like in most other grain crops, grain sorghum responds to irrigation more at certain growth stages,
• Installing a Subsurface Drip Irrigation System for Row Crops.
  The components and installation of an subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system.
• Irrigation monitoring with soil water sensors.
  Monitoring the water content of your soil will help you decide how much water to apply and when to apply it.
• Irrigation of forage crops.
  Irrigation can increase the production of forages where rainfall is limited.
• Irrigation water quality.
  Why well water can be salty
• Irrigation water quality standards and salinity management strategies. (PDF)
  In most irrigation situations, the primary water qual- ity concern is salinity levels, since salts can affect both the soil struc- ture and crop yield.
• Surge flow irrigation.
  Surge flow irrigation has the potential to increase furrow irrigation efficiencies to levels usually associated with sprinkler and drip irrigation systems.
• Using renewable energy to pump water.
  Wind and solar energy can be excellent options in remote areas where the costs of extending transmission lines are high.
• Developing a Marketing Plan.
  Developing a good marketing plan will help you identify and quantify costs, set price goals, determine potential price outlook, examine production and price risk, and develop a strategy for marketing your crop.
• Rangeland risk – drought.
  Droughts occur almost everywhere and have plagued agriculturalists for centuries.
• Rangeland Risk Management for Texans: Managing Climatic and Financial Risk with Grazing
  Climatic and financial risks can be reduced and managed through proper grazing management.
• Rangeland Risk Management for Texans: Types of Risk.
  Climate is one of the many risks for agricultural enterprise
• Managing Risk in a Dynamic World Economy
  To be successful in a rapidly changing global environment, farmers will need a clear understanding of risk and how to manage it.