According to experts like Tim Schnakenberg, Stone County's agronomist for the University of Missouri Extension, Missouri weather patterns have significantly changed over the past ten to fifteen years. He believes Southwest Missouri farmers need to be better prepared for these changes.
"Instead of doing the same thing we did, 50 years ago on our farms like our grandparents and our parents, we probably need to be depending more on a warm season forage," he said
His sentiment is in response to U.S. Drought Monitor data revealing Southwest Missouri is in a moderate and abnormally dry drought. The persistent dryness can impact farmers' growing and plant conditions in the region.
According to Schnakenberg, drought impacts tall fescue growth. The native plant is perfect for grazing cattle. There is less need for hay when there's ample fescue, saving the producers money.
He said its significant for producers to not have enough grass for their cattle to graze.
Drought patterns are unprecedented compared to previous years. For the last three years, the region has had well-below-average rainfall events.
Brian Fuchs, climatologist for the U.S. Drought Monitor, said the region has remained consistently dry and is one of the driest areas of Missouri.
'Just over the last three years, some of these areas have missed 16 to 20 inches of precipitation during that time," he said.
The data for the drought map comes from weekly collections over a year by government agencies such as NASA, the National Geographic Survey, and the National Weather Service.
Fuchs said consistent drought issues present a complex problem.
"There's a double-edged sword that producer's kind of face. We understand we need moisture, but we also need to get field work done," he said.
He wishes for an active weather pattern, with snow in the winter and rain in the spring.
This past week, the area received an average of six inches of snow. While the region's recent snowfall was unusual, it still takes about 10 inches of the wettest snow to equal one inch of rain. It can take double that amount if the snow is dry.
The snow will only absorb the soil if the ground is frozen.
"The water going into the soil will benefit more if the soil is frozen when the snow starts to melt," Fuchs said.
If the snow starts to melt, it will often trickle or run into streams and lakes, reducing its soil access. The missed absorption creates a trickledown effect – it affects plants; the plants affect the grazing ability of livestock.
When it does eventually rain – it often floods. So even if the region gets five inches of rain, the soil will only absorb ¾ an inch.
"The continual year after year after year droughts are making our strands of grass really compromised," said Schnakenberg.
Schnakenberg presents solutions to rebuilding the forage base, filling the grazing gaps with clover or crabgrass - a process he calls grazing management.
He recently created recommendations on how to improve farmers' forage bases for this year. A recommended practice for farmers is higher harvesting cuts - creating faster regrowth, greater second-cut yields, and a more substantial, deeper root system.
He said if producers do not have the correct strands of grazing grass, they are not at full capacity for producing beef cattle.
According to the University of Minnesota Extension, grazing grass helps preserve wildlife and reduce producers' operating costs.
Schnakenberg said good grazing management is vital for successful and profitable farms. According to him, if this is not in place, then moisture doesn't absorb into the soil – and is 'lost on farms'.
