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Last week, we discussed managing irrigation for annual forages planted under a center pivot. But what about producers considering annual forages on dryland acres?
Summer annuals can provide additional grazing, hay, or silage, but planting during a drought requires realistic expectations. These crops may tolerate dry conditions better than some alternatives, but none are drought-proof. They still need enough moisture to germinate, establish a root system, and produce usable forage.
The first question is not which species to plant. It is whether there is enough soil moisture—and a reasonable chance of additional rainfall—to establish the crop.
Digbelow the surface with a shovel or soil probe. A light shower may wet the top inch without providing enough moisture to support seedlings once they emerge. Planting into dry soil and hoping for rain can work, but it increases the risk of uneven emergence, stand failure, or seed remaining in the ground until conditions improve.
Producers should then decide when the forage is needed andhow it will be used. For summer grazing or hay, options include sudangrass, sorghum-sudangrass, forage sorghum, German foxtail millet, pearl millet, and teff. The best choice depends not only on yield potential, but also on how many periods of adequate moisture the crop will need.
Sudangrass and sorghum- sudangrass can provide high yields and regrow after grazing or harvest. However, that means they need moisture for establishment and initial growth, followed by additional rainfall to support regrowth. Without rain after the first use, the expected second cutting or additional grazing may never develop.
German foxtail millet still needs adequate moisture while actively growing, but it is normally managed as a single-cut crop. It needs moisture for establishment and at key points during that one growth period, but producers are not depending on another round of rainfall to produce regrowth after harvest. In a dry year, one well-timed crop may be a more realistic goal than planning for multiple cuttings.
Pearl millet offers grazing and regrowth potential without the prussic acid risk associated with sorghums, although it can still accumulate nitrates. Teff can produce fine-stemmed, palatable hay, but its tiny seed requires very shallowplacement and a firm seedbed, making establishment more difficult when the soil surface is diy. As planting moves later into summer, yield potential and the remaining growing season decline. A warm-season annual planted in July may still produce forage before frost, but producers should reduce expectations for both tonnage and regrowth. Later plantings often fit stockpiled grazing better than hay production because shorter days, cooler temperatures, and heavier fall dew can make drying more difficult.
If the primary need is high-quality fall grazing, oats planted from early to mid-August may be a better fit, provided enough moisture is available for establishment and fall growth. Late-July planting can increase potential tonnage, but hot conditions may cause oats to mature more quickly and lose quality.
Whatever species is selected, compare the likely feed return with the cost of seed, fertilizer, herbicide, planting, harvest, fencing, and livestock water. A crop with high yield potential is not necessarily the best choice if it requires a large upfront investment and several timely rains to reach that potential.
Drought also increases livestock safety concerns. Sorghums and sudangrasses can accumulate nitrates, while young growth, drought-stressed regrowth, and frost-damaged plants may create prussic acid concerns. Millets do not present a prussic acid risk, but they can still accumulate nitrates. Test questionable forage before grazing or feeding it.
Dryland annual forages can create additional feed and reduce pressure on perennial pastures, but they remain a risk-management tool—not guaranteed drought feed. Start with available soil moisture, match the crop to the intended use, and consider how many timely rains will be needed to reach the planned harvest.
In a dry year, successfully producing one dependable cutting may be a better strategy than choosing a crop based on the possibility of multiple harvests that rainfall may not support.
—Ben Beckman is a beefsy stems Extension Educator based in the Cedar County Extension office in Hartington. You can reachhima: (402)254-6821 or email: ben. [email protected] mailto:[email protected]
