For centuries, farmers and ranchers have struggled against the seemingly omnipotent force of drought. When it just will not rain, we feel helpless and hopeless. However, a growing number of farmers and ranchers are discovering how to dramatically reduce their vulnerability to the ravages of drought. Perhaps more importantly, there is emerging science that indicates that we can actually manage land in a manner that promotes local rainfall.

Dale Strickler, chief agronomist for the consulting firm Regenerative Wisdom, author of the book The Drought Resilient Farm and a Kansas rancher, teaches a course on how individuals can make their own agricultural operations much more efficient at capturing, storing and using rainfall, and how many common agricultural practices are making our farms and ranches more susceptible to drought. Furthermore, he explains the complex science of why rain occurs, which agricultural practices are reducing rainfall, and how we can act to increase regional rainfall. The course is a blend of both scientific research data and practical experience from all over the world. The course is of particular value to ranchers, who in the face of drought are often forced into a difficult choice of having to either buy feed at highly inflated prices or sell their livestock at extremely depressed prices. Strickler explains how ranchers can not only avoid being cornered into this decision, but how they can actually manage to profit during droughts.  

Strickler provides an example that illustrates just how much potential there is for these strategies. A study of the fates of rainfall falling on Oklahoma wheat fields determined what percentage of the rainfall ran off the field without infiltrating, what percent evaporated after infiltration, and what percentage was actually used by the wheat crop. Alarmingly, only 18%, or less than a fifth of the rainfall was actually used by the crop and the rest ran off or evaporated. These two losses are easily overcome by management, which means that if practices were altered to eliminate run off and evaporation it would have the equivalent of increasing the effective rainfall a staggering 500%.

Eliminating runoff and evaporation are just two strategies we can employ to conquer drought. There are also strategies to improve the rooting depth of our pastures and crops, and other strategies to improve the ability of plants to extract moisture from the soil, strategies to improve the efficiency of converting soil moisture into plant material. To top it off, there are systems for more effectively converting limited soil moisture into money than what we are currently using in the Plains.

Finally, recent research is accumulating evidence that land management practices can have a significant impact on regional rainfall, and that as much as 40% of the variability of rainfall in a locale can be determined by the land management of the area. Temperature, atmospheric moisture and the absence or presence of effective condensation nuclei in the clouds are all affected by land management practices and if we understand those effects then we can manage them to impact local rainfall.

The bottom line is that we are far from helpless against drought. If you wish to learn more about improving your drought resilience, Strickler will be teaching a one day seminar on drought resilience.  The seminar will be held Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at the SAVE Farm, 9680 N. 52^nd St., Riley, Kan., near Manhattan Kan., beginning at 8:30 a.m. with registration and continuing until 3:30 p.m. This seminar is offered to you at no cost and with lunch included. Advance registration is appreciated. Please RSVP with name(s), email address and phone number to mary@kglc.org or call Mary at (785) 562-8726. For more information please call or text Mary. Everyone is welcome including educators and agency personnel. This Complimentary Drought Resilient Seminar is sponsored by The SAVE Farm and a generous grant from USDA NRCS, KACD and KGLC.