Prologued dry spells on many farms over the last couple of summers saw some enterprises face major feed shortages, costly supplementation and lost performance.

This led many to consider whether they can improve their systems’ resilience to drought.

In his book ‘The Resilient Farmer’, recounting an eight-year struggle with drought on his family farm at Bonavaree on the South Island of New Zealand, Doug Avery credits, among many other things, two key factors which improved their resilience and profitability during drought.

One was lucerne, a deep rooted legume which demonstrated much superior pasture growth during dry spells than the shallow rooted ryegrass which previously covered the farm, and the other was much improved management, and flexibility, of supply and demand through feed budgeting including use of Farmax software.

Whilst lucerne isn’t best suited to the acidic wet soils of much of Scotland, and many farms won’t go to quite the extent of routine pasture measuring and Farmax software, there is much we can take away from Doug’s experiences.

Manage supply and demand

Monitor pasture and stock performance and budget livestock feed requirements. Take action before it becomes more costly (supplementation, input costs up, stock value down, stock performance and pasture regrowth compromised):

• Reduce demand: Wean lambs, sell lambs, culls or trading cattle (trading stock provides much greater flexibility within a system than being solely breeding stock).

• Increase supply: Graze silage fields, take on additional grazing or supplement. Do a winter feed budget.

• Rotational grazing increases utilisation making grass go further and provides rest to promote regrowth.

Wean lambs at 13-14 weeks but as early as 10 weeks in a dry spell:

• Reduces ewe feed demand by up to 50%. Paddock graze weaned ewes to optimise pasture utilisation.

• Reduces ewe BCS loss and gives longer to regain before tupping.

• Prioritise best pastures for lambs to promote daily live weight gain (DLWG).

• If pasture quality is lost across grazing platform due to heading in a dry spell, then consider leader follower grazing, allowing lambs to be selective eating only the top third of pasture to promote DLWG.

Promote pasture’s ability to bounce back

Maintaining leaf area and soil moisture will promote pasture’s ability to grow quickly once rain comes.

• Maintain residuals above 4cm. Take action before pasture is grazed to the boards as this will compromise recovery, extending the impact of the drought.

• Higher cover grazing better retains moisture. Tall covers over 10cm better suit cattle grazing.

Deep rooting drought tolerant species

Greater rooting depth gives better drought resilience with improved ability to continue to grow during dry spells.

• Consider deep rooting herbs and legumes such as chicory, plantain and red clover.

• Note that such ‘herbals leys’ need careful management for persistency (herbs often 2-4 years). Even if only one or two fields, such leys would provide a more drought tolerant sward for grazing twin-rearing ewes on and high quality feed for weaned lambs when quality pasture may otherwise be limiting.

• Cocksfoot has an extensive rooting system making it well suited to drought resistant mixes. However, its growth habitat into tussocks means that effective grazing management to maintain it in a leafy state is essential, especially for sheep systems.

• Clovers often maintain quality better in late summer than grasses, particularly during dry spells.