By Ruth Wiechmann for Tri-State Livestock News Prolonged drought conditions and a forecast for warm, dry weather in the Great Plains have livestock producers concerned about the upcoming grazing season and beyond. Timely management strategies can help pastures and livestock weather the lack of moisture. Kevin Sedivec, Extension Rangeland Specialist North Dakota State University Extension and interim director of the Central Grasslands Research Extension Center near Streeter, North Dakota, says that careful management now can help pastures to be more resilient. “We have some delay of spring growth because of the lack of rain last fall; with most grasses expiring a loss of fall tillers” he said. “If producers have enough hay to feed for a few more weeks and can delay their turnout until the end of May to give the grass a chance to get a head start that can be very beneficial. Anything helps; here at the station we’re delaying turnout by one week, not two. We have some data from Minnesota that shows that for every day you graze in early May you lose three days of grazing in the fall. If you can’t delay your turnout, then going into a pasture that was grazed the least last fall will be your best option.”