Drought Reaches Brickhouse...

Drought is something many of us don't think about in our day to day routines, something from Bible stories or suffered by people living on other continents.  This summer, however, we have been reminded that drought can reach right into the heart of our very own neighborhoods.  The 2012 drought is the largest of the last 50 years and in the top ten for droughts of this century, it is even starting to rival the dust bowl (source from The Weather Channel's site).  And that was just at the end of June, not counting the continued lack of rain into July.  What does this mean?  Well, for most folks it just means ugly yards and hotter temperatures, for farmers it threatens their livelihoods.


The consequences at Brickhouse are twofold, both immediate and delayed.  The immediate consequence is decreased quantity/quality of our pastures.  Remember those lush green pastures Grandpa was mowing in our previous post?  They have turned brown and crispy just like the lawns in your neighborhood.  We have to be very careful how we graze the pastures now.  Too much grazing will permanently damage the stand of forage since the cows will overgraze the few green things left in the pasture.  This also means the cows aren't getting what they need from the pasture as they usually do.  So we are needing to pull from those stores of hay we put up for winter to supplement their diets now.

Just two months ago...

Same pasture right now...

That's where the delayed consequences come in.  We are already feeding hay to keep the cows healthy - hay that was intended for winter months when there wasn't enough pasture to graze on.  Not only are we depleting those stores very early, we also are not going to have opportunity to make much extra hay to compensate since the hay fields are stunted and brown right now too.  Normally we can expect four cuttings of hay in a season.  We were able to put up two from most of our fields before the drought set in - we have already missed the window for the third and now may not be able to make the fourth (normally we stop cutting the hay fields during early fall to give the plants time to store up carbs for the winter).


In addition to the anticipated roughage (hay) shortage, this drought and accompanying high temps hit corn growers at a crucial time.  Corn pollinates during a period called "tasseling" where it releases its pollen which fertilizes the corn seeds.  Without fertilization the corn plant cannot make corn.  Period.  No second chances.  Pollen is very sensitive to temperature and humidity.  If it is too dry the pollen will dehydrate and be unsuccessful.  If it is too hot (above approximately 88*F for an extended period of time) the pollen will die and, of course, be unsuccessful.  We had exactly those conditions for two long weeks during which most of the corn in our area was "tasseling".  Much of the nation suffered similar conditions.  This means that we will not have enough corn to supply our needs as we usually do, and that it will be unusually expensive to buy corn because of a nationwide shortage.


So what's a dairy farmer to do?  Co-ops around the country are brainstorming and communicating with their growers to figure out that exact question as we speak.  While we don't have a complete plan yet, one of the things we know will happen here at Brickhouse is making more silage and less grain corn.  When making grain corn we only harvest the ears of corn and leave the stalk behind.  This give us the most concentrated energy and is simplest to store for future use.  Silage however uses the whole stalk.  While its not as nutritionally dense as grain, it does provide more roughage and will help offset the shortage of hay we are experiencing. 

Another option being considered on a national level is temporarily shutting down ethanol plants (the ones that use corn to make fuel).  This would reduce demand for corn and make it more available for farmers who need it for feed.


While its going to make for a rough year, here at Brickhouse we are hunkering down and doing all we can to prepare for the added challenges coming our way.  


How has the drought affected your neighborhood and what steps are you taking to counter the damage?