Managing grazing livestock during wet weather

Managing wet pastures

Dense stands of perennial forage withstand weather extremes and livestock pressure better than sparse stands. Rotational grazing, overseeding, soil testing, fertilizing, and preventing overgrazing can all promote healthy pastures.

During wet weather, the following steps can further limit livestock damage to pastures:

• Rotate livestock to new pastures more often to limit soil compaction and damage to plants or roots. You may need to move livestock multiple times a day. Resting pastures allows plants time to recover.
• Move waterers, feeders, and mineral supplements often to prevent damage and excess mud around these areas if possible.
• Remove livestock from pastures that are too wet to graze to avoid creating mud.

How pastures respond to flooding depends on the forage species. Check your forage species’ flooding tolerance to help guide decisions.

Remove livestock from pastures

Sometimes your best option is to remove livestock from pastures until conditions dry out.

• Have a backup plan for grazing. The plan should include options like a sacrifice lot, concrete holding pad, or holding building. Select a sacrifice lot that has well-draining soils.
• Make sure you have enough stored feed to provide livestock when they can’t graze.
• Prepare for the worst and have a culling strategy. You may need to cull livestock if wet conditions worsen and you lack feed inventory.

Protect livestock from flood contamination

Protect the health of your livestock if forage ground floods:

• Provide a fresh, clean water source.
• Don’t allow livestock to graze in or near actively flooding pastures. Soil, fecal matter, bacteria, and other debris can contaminate forages during a flood.
• Don’t feed dry hay that was impacted by flood waters.
• Sample standing flood waters for nitrates, coliform bacteria, or toxins such as pesticides.

Once flood waters recede, remove debris and repair fences and water lines. You may also need to manage affected forages.

• If pastures have been contaminated by flowing flood waters, cut standing forage to a 4-inch height and allow the cut forage to decompose. Do not graze or harvest this forage. Once the forage regrows to 12 inches, grazing may resume.
• Roll out flood-water-contaminated hay and allow it to decompose. Place decomposing hay bales in fields that need additional fertility.

Repair sacrifice areas or damaged pastures

Healthy perennial pastures can recover from spring flooding if you limit damage from grazing. When possible, delay grazing until plants recover from wet weather and flooding. Keep livestock in a sacrifice paddock and feed stored forages. You can rotate sacrifice areas on your farm yearly to allow repair and recovery.

Allow areas to rest

If you have enough land and feed resources available, allow sacrifice areas and damaged pastures to regrow.. Weed species will be quick to fill in the area. Consider mowing the weeds before they head out to limit the competition for the grasses and legumes. It may be possible to graze these paddocks once during the grazing season depending on weather conditions and timing.

Replant pastures

Once pastures dry out, decide if replanting is worthwhile.

Before replanting, take a soil sample to ensure the soil pH is above 6 and that soil fertility is adequate. Use a no-till planter to limit further soil disturbance and damage to the soil structure.

If needed, level off pastures with a harrow before planting. You could also broadcast seed and do a pass with a cultipacker.

You can plant a fast-growing summer annual or cover crop from early to mid-summer to prevent weed pressure. You can graze or harvest the summer annual depending on the timing of planting and species planted.

Once grazed or harvested, you can then plant a perennial pasture mix. The ideal time to plant a perennial pasture in the Midwest is between August 1 and September 15.

Spending time and money to repair damaged paddocks is an investment in future forage inventory, grazing capacity, ecosystem functioning and productivity.

Alternative feedstuffs

Like drought, wet weather can lead to feedstuff shortages. You can prepare for weather events by checking your forage supply and the needs of your livestock. Other options include reducing livestock numbers or purchasing forages or alternative feedstuffs. See Feeding dairy cattle in a drought.

Alternative feed options to purchase or plant as emergency forage:

• BMR Sorghum

• Sudangrass
• Sorghum-sudangrass
• Japanese millet
• Hybrid pearl millet
• Barley
• Barley and pea mix
• Oat and pea mix
• Forage brassicas like rape, kale, and turnips

These resources can help determine which alternative might best fit your system and needs:

• Alternative annual forages: Warm-season grasses
• Alternative feedstuffs for horses
• Ten ways to stretch your horse’s hay supply
• Pricing and using alternative forages
• Alternative Feeds for Ruminants-NDSU Extension
• Emergency Forage Options- Wisconsin Extension 
• Use of Brassica Crops in Grazing Systems- Wisconsin Extension

Manage wet feed

Wet weather and flooding can affect the quality of feedstuffs like grain and silage.

• Storing wet feed can be a fire hazard. Always move wet feed away from buildings.
• Moldy feed can be toxic and lead to death or abortions in livestock.
• Never feed hay or grain that has been in contact with flood waters.
• Grain affected by ponded water and not flood waters with no risk of contamination may be ensiled similar to high-moisture corn. Always test the grain for mycotoxins first.

Always determine the nutritional value of rained-on hay. Depending on the timing and intensity of the rain event, forage may still be of high quality. Generally, rainfall on cut forages will reduce dry matter yield and digestibility. When concerned about the quality of forages, have them tested.

Housing livestock

Manage manure

• Develop a manure management plan when confining livestock during long stretches of wet weather.
• Reduce risks of manure application during wet weather, especially in the spring and fall.
• Keep track of your available manure storage. Have a plan in case there is a risk of manure overflow. 

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has other manure management plan tools. If manure storage facilities are in danger of overflowing, contact the MPCA or your local county feedlot officer.

It is important to prevent manure contamination of streams, rivers, and lakes. If your manure storage facility overflows, you must contact the Minnesota Duty Officer at 800-422-0798.

Prevent mud

Managing mud on horse and livestock farms requires preventive measures.

• Install alternative footing and temporary drainage systems in chronic problem areas.
• Move feeders to dry spots. You may also provide bedding around feeders to maintain good footing and keep livestock as clean and dry as possible.
• Scrape livestock pens often, if possible, and maintain a slope away from feeding areas. 

Develop an emergency flood plan

• Horse and livestock owners should have emergency flood plans. Plans may include an evacuation outline, backup generators, and livestock pens on higher ground.
• Never store fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and treated seeds near livestock. Place these items where flood water will not reach them and possibly contaminate feed or water.
• Move livestock out of barns and enclosed areas if floodwaters start approaching these structures. If you need help moving livestock, contact your local county emergency managers or local county feedlot officer.
  • Preparing for a barn disaster: flood
  • Flood Resources MDA 

Injury, disease and pest concerns

• Wet weather can chill livestock during cool temperatures, especially in the fall and spring.
• Wet and muddy hair poorly insulates livestock.
• Added stress can compromise their immune systems and mud and manure can harbor bacteria and other pathogens leading to disease.
• Young livestock can be especially susceptible.

Monitor for disease

• Always contact your veterinarian if you suspect disease in your livestock.
• In flood conditions, injuries and disease can occur from livestock eating debris.
• Soil-borne pathogen risk increases during floods with the movement of soil.
• Livestock exposed to flooding conditions, or that will be sent to pastures affected by flooding, should be vaccinated against clostridial diseases and tetanus. Discuss with your veterinarian the available vaccination options.

Diseases to monitor include:

Liver flukes and redwater disease in Minnesota beef cattle — Snails spread liver flukes and often live near water. Cattle can ingest liver flukes when grazing near surface water or eating hay stored in wet conditions, where snails live. Limit grazing near wet areas and feeding stored forage possibly contaminated by snails.

Foot rot can occur from bacteria that thrive in wet conditions. Prolonged moisture can damage skin between the toes of livestock and lead to infection.

Post-flood neurologic disorders in horses — After a flood horses may be more likely to develop neurologic disorders due to increased parasite pressure, ingestion of toxic plants, and stressed immune systems.

Scratches is a skin condition that can be caused by long-term exposure to wet bedding or mud. It causes an irritated or infected area of skin on the pastern or heel bulb of horses.

In wet conditions, mosquitos are more frequent, which can increase the risk of horse diseases like West Nile Virus.

Horses are at a greater risk of developing cellulitis in wet, muddy conditions, where bacteria thrive. Cellulitis is a bacterial infection in connective tissue under the skin of the lower leg characterized by heat, swelling and tenderness. Consult with your veterinarian if you suspect your horse has cellulitis.

Other diseases to be aware of during wet weather and flooding include:

• Leptospirosis, E. coli and salmonella from untreated water
• Parasites like roundworms, hookworms, giardia and fleas
• Clostridial diseases like blackleg and malignant edema
• Anthrax
• Mastitis
• Tetanus
• Botulism
• Brooder Pneumonia
• Erysipelas

Control pests

Fly and mosquito populations increase during and after wet weather. Pest control plans can help limit irritation, stress and disease pressure on livestock. Frequent clean-up and removal of manure and bedding can reduce breeding sites for pests like stable and house flies.

Additional pest control resources:

• Managing flies on cattle farms
• Fly control with Roger Moon (podcast)
• Controlling pests - Insects and rodents (video; 58:01)
• Horse fly control