Drought-related Resources
click on headings for more information
Iowa State University People
Water and other resources
- Blue-green Algae (ISU updated 2017) Note: contact your veterinarian for information on submitting water samples.
- Coping with Drought-Affected Private Water Supply Wells (ISU, revised 2017)
- Iowa Water Summary Update (IDNR) includes water summary reports and State of Iowa drought plan
Cow-calf considerations
- Creep Feeding Beef Calves (UNL)
- Dry summer corn forage harvest options and management strategies (ISU)
- Early Weaning In Drought Conditions (ISU)
- Late summer forage options and management strategies in drought or dry summer (ISU)
- Supplementing Pasture Grazing to Meet Beef Cow Requirements or Stretch Pasture Forage (IBC 134)
- Tips for Strategic Culling, Cow Body Condition Scoring and Replacement Selection Scoring and Replacement Selection (KSU)
Grazing, Pastures, Forages, Grain
- Aflatoxins in Corn (PM 1800)
- Aflatoxin testing form (for aflatoxin/mycotoxin testing only, done by ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory)
- Alternative Annual Forages (IBC 136)
- Alternatives for Drought-damaged Corn – Grain Crop or Forage (ISU)
- Alternatives for Drought-damaged Soybeans – Bean Crop or Forage (ISU)
- Be aware of potential drought effects on plant tissue testing - by Antonio Mallarino (ISU ICM newsletter)
- Grazing Down Corn (IBC)
- Interpreting your forage test result (IBC 51)
- Iowa Crop Progress and Condition
- Making Quality Corn Silage (ISU)
- Managed Haying or Grazing of CRP Acres (ISU Ag DecisionMaker 2012)
- Managing Sacrifice Paddocks (IBC 135)
- Pasture Preparation and Renovation 2024 (video, 0:59:57)
- Sampling Fields for Nitrate Levels in Corn (ISU)
- Soybeans for Forage (Recovery 19)
- Using Drought Silage in Growing Cattle Diets (IBC)
Herd and animal health
- Blue-green Algae (ISU updated 2017) Note: contact your veterinarian for information on submitting water samples.
- Nitrates in Livestock Feed (Beef Cattle Handbook)
- Nitrate Toxicity (IBC 50)
- What's Ahead for Cows on Drought-Stricken Pastures? (IBC 49)
Pricing and financial tools
- CRP Cost Calculator to determine forage cost when using emergency release of CRP ground (xls, ISU)
- Feed Energy Index spreadsheet (xls, ISU)
- Feeding Value of Drought-Damaged Corn Silage for Beef Cattle (ISU)
- Livestock Enterprise Budgets, Ag Decision Maker (ISU)
- Pricing Drought-damaged Silage (ISU Ag Decision Maker blog, updated 2017)
- Pricing Forage in the Field (ISU Ag Decision Maker)
