William Campbell /Getty Images PLAN FOR THE FUTURE: While ranchers need to plan now for feeding their herd during a drought, they also need to plan for the future of their operation on the back side of dry conditions — concentrating on the cow-calf pairs that will help build the future of the ranch. Supplementation is one option for individual operations to feed cattle if conditions get dry. Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a two-part series of articles on caring for cows and calves during a drought. Recent bouts of widespread precipitation have eased the drought monitor observations for Nebraska for now, and the soil moisture profile — even in the western part of the state — has improved over the past few weeks.