The other side of to much rain. Jump ahead to October 1

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1982vett

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If you recall, I posted some pictures from the end of July last year. These were taken this morning. Not much difference.

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Baled this about 2 weeks ago.
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I pulled the cattle off of this pasture after the last rain in April. It hasn't rain since. Had to put them back on today.
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I started a pasture renovation project near the end of April. This is a corner of that field that I didn't do anything to.
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Not much their.
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Hey, I do have something that is green----for now. This is pearl millet planted on the pasture renovation. How much longer it will survive without rain, I don't know. It hasn't rained on it since it came up.
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Planted Cowpeas on some of that same renovation.
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Had more seed than land. Result is cowpeas and millet.
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Since I like to play, I mixed corn, soybean, and cowpeas. What I got was corn, cowpeas and dove weed. Note that soybeans were mixed into all of the cowpea plantings but very few came up.
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Now my best plot was planted in mid April. I broke some oat ground and planted cowpeas and soybeans. Soybean did not come up.
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Hear is my biggest dissapointment. I pasture drilled haygrazer in some oats. Was a bit early. The haygrazer struggled from the cold and the oats outgrew it. Then it quit raining. I ran shredder across about 10 days ago. It was supposedly gong to rain. Nope. This is what it looks like now.
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Didn't work for the millet 4 weeks later either.
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Tank is back down like it was in January.
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And the yard. If the good Lord waters it I will keep it mowed. I'm not going to do both.
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And it looks like your next chance for rain is next Tuesday and that's only 20%. On a positive note, you like Dove Weed and it just so happens I have about 50 acres of it. Come on down, it's yours!!

Right now, my place is riddled with 3/4" cracks in the ground and the hay field has not grown enough yet for even the first cutting.
 
It was only a few years ago that we were in the same boat with you. Fortunately, we have got the rain this year. It's raining again today.
 
grannysoo":2t73kru7 said:
It was only a few years ago that we were in the same boat with you. Fortunately, we have got the rain this year. It's raining again today.
With what we got in March and April, I was hoping it would continue, but it didn't.

BeefmasterB":2t73kru7 said:
And it looks like your next chance for rain is next Tuesday and that's only 20%. On a positive note, you like Dove Weed and it just so happens I have about 50 acres of it. Come on down, it's yours!!

Right now, my place is riddled with 3/4" cracks in the ground and the hay field has not grown enough yet for even the first cutting.
The cracks are getting bigger every day, pretty much at the same places they were last year.

My 10-day doesn't have anything in for the next 10 days. Today is day 37 since it rained. :p You still got any hay for sale? I picked up where I left off selling in February with the nutcase cows. Don't see much choice about it, going to have to sell some more. Can't feed hay 10 months a year.
 
I think it says a lot about you when you can have such hard luck with the rain yet still keep a good attitude. Personally, I'd rather deal with monsoons than drought. Drought and cattle just don't mix. If you end up having to cull all your cattle I really think you could go on the speaking circuit and lecture on waterless grazing strategies cause to the best of my knowledge you have mastered it by having any green on your place. I'd much rather listen to your lecture than someone from academia that crunches numbers. Good luck! And for heavens sake, spit on the sun!
 
Jogeephus":3bo3gaj2 said:
I think it says a lot about you when you can have such hard luck with the rain yet still keep a good attitude. Personally, I'd rather deal with monsoons than drought. Drought and cattle just don't mix. If you end up having to cull all your cattle I really think you could go on the speaking circuit and lecture on waterless grazing strategies cause to the best of my knowledge you have mastered it by having any green on your place. I'd much rather listen to your lecture than someone from academia that crunches numbers. Good luck! And for heavens sake, spit on the sun!

:lol: Jogee, I broke down last week and did. Goll darn thing is just getting madder. :p Darn snake (tail) hasn't rotted and fell off the fence yet either.

Only trouble with the green stuff I do have growing is the cost....and it it isn't enough green to go around. Still will wonder had it had rained a little in May how much it would have changed the outcome.

Rainfall total since Jan 1 is 7.8 inches. Just an afternoon shower for some, huh? :(
 
It seems you guys down there have been in the same weather pattern for over a year now. What's driving it? Hoping you all get some much deserved relief soon and that it keeps on coming.
 
1982vett":3bm7w5yl said:
Jogeephus":3bm7w5yl said:
I think it says a lot about you when you can have such hard luck with the rain yet still keep a good attitude. Personally, I'd rather deal with monsoons than drought. Drought and cattle just don't mix. If you end up having to cull all your cattle I really think you could go on the speaking circuit and lecture on waterless grazing strategies cause to the best of my knowledge you have mastered it by having any green on your place. I'd much rather listen to your lecture than someone from academia that crunches numbers. Good luck! And for heavens sake, spit on the sun!

:lol: Jogee, I broke down last week and did. Goll darn thing is just getting madder. :p Darn snake (tail) hasn't rotted and fell off the fence yet either.

Only trouble with the green stuff I do have growing is the cost....and it it isn't enough green to go around. Still will wonder had it had rained a little in May how much it would have changed the outcome.

Rainfall total since Jan 1 is 7.8 inches. Just an afternoon shower for some, huh? :(

the local paper here has us at 2.1 inches since jan 1
we could use a rain but our stocking rate is a cow to 25 acres so we plan for it.
 
cross_7":13cbh6ab said:
the local paper here has us at 2.1 inches since jan 1
we could use a rain but our stocking rate is a cow to 25 acres so we plan for it.

Yep, those totals are relative to what the norm is. Ours is somewhere between 38 and 45 inches a year, need it or not(depending on who you listen to). We finished last year with 15.8 inches. (Now that is here on this place, not what some TV station reported.) We should be able to do a pair to 3-4 acres depending how deep the pocket is for fertilizer. Plus you would get to sell surplus hay.

Steve Wilson":13cbh6ab said:
It seems you guys down there have been in the same weather pattern for over a year now. What's driving it? Hoping you all get some much deserved relief soon and that it keeps on coming.

Supposedly, la nina is to blame for the overall problem. Haven't figured out what could be the cause of missing out on those 3 - 4 inch gully washers that have been as close as couple miles away without a drop falling here.

dun":13cbh6ab said:
You know it's dry when the trees are chasing the dogs
Quite a few didn't green up this spring either.

john250":13cbh6ab said:
A fellow thinks he has a plan, and drought just drops the plan in the dumpster.
Man oh man, I sympathize.

This is a plan changer for sure. Just wonder if I hear what I think I'm hearing. Been having some, let's just say "strange", dreams again. A little bit more might have been revealed Sunday. I'll have to pay a bit more attention next time and try to understand better.
 
I don't know this for sure but I think a drought feeds on a drought. This is why I was so glad we got the heavy rain we did. With the sloughs and creeks full, the evaporation sets things in motion for these afternoon thurnderstorms. I hope our weather holds out for us this year cause I really don't think my nerves could take another drought. I know its been tough on you but I got faith now that you have spat your spit it will rain soon. Lets just hope this isn't some wives tale.
 
El Nino La Nina --I wish the two would get together and just give a steady outcome somewhere in between. We get at least 3 meters (9' 9") to 7 meters(22'9') each year. Wettest place in Australia and I still can't get green like your photos. Well done
 
tytower":m44a5afb said:
El Nino La Nina --I wish the two would get together and just give a steady outcome somewhere in between. We get at least 3 meters (9' 9") to 7 meters(22'9') each year. Wettest place in Australia and I still can't get green like your photos. Well done

I get sick of hearing those terms too. I liked it better when the billion year old phenominan didn't have a name. When it was just a weather cycle from wet times to dry times.

Wow 9 - 22 feet of rain? If that happend here all we would have left would be rocks, and few of those. I think it would be hard to have fertile soil with that much leaching action on the soil.
 
Some shots a week later. Day 44 without rain.

Scouted out some of the better bermuda pasture.
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Hey a greener spot.
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Some of the native pasture, mostly KR-bluestem with a few spots of common bermuda (the greener areas)
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And my poor millet. Still hanging in but fading fast.
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And the cowpeas at the edge of the renovations.
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Its amazing how green the millet and peas are compared to the grass. I always knew millet was tough but never realized how tough the cowpeas are.
 
Man I just can't emagine how that would be to have a drought like that, my heart goes out to you 1982 vett.
Here I have personally never lived through one of those. We may have a dry spell but nothing like this. As for this year my pastures are getting ahead of me, I have grass which I am grazing right now that is 5 foot tall, which I have no problem with.
I guess we are trully blessed and you have just reminded me!
I hope you get rain soon!
 

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