- (Public Value) UCANR: Building climate-resilient communities and ecosystems
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
- Author: Gabriele Maier
- Author: Josh Davy
- Editor: Mark Lundy
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Looking a little dry out there?
Dry conditions mean it's good to be cautious about nitrate toxicity in forage crops, particularly small grain hay, grasses, and anything weedy! Nitrates can harm or even kill animals. Growers should test forages and stay vigilant.
Why are dry years more of a concern for nitrate toxicity? Drought conditions in California this year are the worst they've been in decades. Many growers are considering cutting their grain fields for hay, however, that may cause some concerns for ruminant livestock if forage nitrate (NO3) levels are not monitored closely since drought stress can cause nitrate accumulation in forage plants.
Rainfall...
- Author: Umair Gull
- Author: Rachael Long
- Author: Isaya Kisekka
- Author: Khaled Bali
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Looking a little dry out there?
January and February of 2021 were some of the driest months on record, with near Zero (1.7”) precipitation in Northern California. Things don't look good for summer. What can alfalfa growers do under these conditions?
Drought Coming. Currently much of the Southwest US is under ‘extreme' to ‘exceptional drought', depending upon the region (Figure 1). A key issue for many regions is snow pack – which currently is at about 60% of normal. Although we've had some recent precipitation, the trend is for relatively low rainfall for the rest of the month of March. Allocations of surface water to the large irrigation districts are scheduled to be a...
