This page includes archived CropWatch articles for managing crop production during drought conditions, including articles related to corn and sorghum, soybeans, sorghum, dry beans, forages, silage and wheat production. Drought-related CropWatch articles from 2017 and after can be found at cropwatch.unl.edu/tags/drought.

Crops

• Corn & Sorghum
• Dry Beans
• Forages
• Silage
• Soybean
• Wheat

Crop Systems & Pest Management

• Farm Management
• Harvest & Storage
• Irrigation
• Mycotoxins and Aflatoxins
• Soil Managaement
• Weed Management

Drought Monitoring

• US Drought Monitor
• National Drought Mitigation Center
• Drought Planning Tools
• Drought Monitoring Tools
• Drought Monitor News
• QuickDRI Map - Areas drier or wetter than 4-week historical normals

Corn & Sorghum

• How will Drought Conditions and Depleted Soil Water Profiles Affect Dryland Corn Planting Rates?
• How Much Should You Charge for Corn Stalk Grazing?
  — Cornstalk Grazing Cow-Q-Lator
• Cover Crop Options after Corn or Soybean
• Progression of 2012 Corn Yield Hybrid-Maize Forecasts: July 15; July 30; August 13;  August 27; September 12; 
• Grazing Corn Stalks in No-Till Fields
• Drought and Residue Harvest through Grazing or Baling
• Hay or Cut Silage from Drought-Damaged Corn Fields?
• Harvesting Crop Residue (G1846)
• Baling Corn Residue (EC711, publication and decision-aid spreadsheet)
• Hay Hotline Open for Drought-Damaged Corn
• How Extended High Heat Disrupts Corn Pollination
• How Does Hot, Dry, Windy Weather Affect Corn Plants Now? (June 22) 
• Crop Water Use Comparison of Rainfed Corn, Sorghum, and Soybean from 2009 to 2011 
  
   
  —  Related Market Journal segment, June 1, 2012 
  
• The Use and Pricing of Drought-Stressed Corn (NebGuide 1865)
• Skip-Row Planting of Grain Sorghum for Improved Drought Tolerance (G1976). Skip row planting as a means to improve grain sorghum production under water-deficit conditions.

Dry Beans

• UNL Researcher Breeding Dry Beans to be More Drought Tolerant

Forages

• Forage Production with Limited Precipitation or Irrigation (Story and Webinar)
• Forage Production with Limited Irrigation (NebGuide G2012)
• Windrow Grazing (NebGuide G1616)
• Adjusting Pasture Leases for Drought
• Pasture Rangeland Forage Insurance
• Options Available Through New Pasture, Range, and Forage Insurance
• Irrigating Alfalfa in Late Fall May be Warranted
• Preventing the Spread of Noxious and Invasive Weeds in Imported Hay
• Diversifivation and Sustainable Practices May Offer Long-term Gain after Drought
• Emergency Drought Relief — RMA Bulletin Allowing the Haying and Grazing of a Cover Crop for the 2013 Crop Year
• Considerations for Late Summer-planted Forage Crops
• Double Cropping for Forage Production: How Much Soil Water is Needed Before Planting
• Consider Herbicide Restrictions with Drought-Damaged Corn or Soybean
• Consider Label Restrictions for Corn and Soybean Insecticides
• How to Use a Microwave to Determine the Moisture Content of Forage
• With High Temperatures, Adjust Alfalfa Cuttings to Let Plants Recuperate
• Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch
• Seedling Alfalfa Management During Drought
• With Early Heat and Early Dormancy, Pastures Short
• Website, Workshops Help Ranchers in Time of Drought
• Forage Production with Limited Irrigation (G2012)
• Crop Residues or Low Quality Hay Combined with Byproducts as a Forage Substitute (G2099)
• Using Weather-Damaged Corn as Forage
• Tips for Grazing Drought-Stressed Standing Corn (See related stories in Livestock)
• Utilization of Weather-Stressed Feedstuffs in Swine Diets

Silage

• Should You Hay or Cut Silage from Drought-Damaged Corn Fields?
• Making, Blending Silage from Dry Corn
• Making Silage? Protect Your Investment for the Long-term
• Feeding Value and Pricing of Drought-Stressed Corn Silage
• Salvaging Soybeans as Hay or Silage

Soybean

• Drought Stress May Make Scouting for SCN Easier in Soybean
• Soybean Response to Drought, Iowa State University Integrated Crop Management News (June 22, 2012)

Wheat 

• Recommendations for Thickening Stands and Seeding Winter Wheat Late
• Assessing Winter Wheat Stands and Estimating Yield Potential
• Using Irrigated Winter Wheat to Balance Crop Water Use
• Weed Management in Winter Wheat Stubble Under Drought Conditions

Farm Management

• Diversification and Sustainable Practices May Offer Long-term Gain after Drought
• Drought Can Create Conservation Plan Compliance Issues
• UNL Cornhusker Economics Examines the Many Impacts of this Year's Drought and Available Aid Programs
• Tax Consequences to Drought (FSA Nebraska)
• USDA Risk Management Agency: 2012 Drought Questions and Answers
• Emergency Drought Relief — RMA Bulletin Allowing the Haying and Grazing of a Cover Crop for the 2013 Crop Year

Harvest & Storage

• Managing Stored Drought-Stressed Corn in Early Spring
• Stalk Rot Diseases Creating Harvest Problems in Corn
• Assessing and Harvesting Downed Corn
• Managing Large Grain Bins for Potential Mycotoxin Contamination
• Recommendations for Storing Drought-Stressed Corn
• Take Steps to Avoid Fire Hazards During Harvest
• Extra "Dusty" Conditions in Corn due to Common Fungi
• Combine Settings for Harvesting in Drought
• Blending Grain and Feedstuffs: How to Figure the Proper Proportions 
• Drying Times for Binned Corn with Natural Aeration
• UNL Extension Lancaster County Grain Drying Web Site
• Preparing Bins and Equipment for Pest Free Storage

Irrigation

• Take Advantage of Dry Year to Assess Irrigation System Water Delivery
• Tips for Irrigating in Extreme Hot, Humid Conditions
• Maximizing Pivot Efficiency
• Managing Soil Water
• Nebraska GDD & crop water use for 20 Nebraska sites and multiple crops
• Nebraska ET Resources and Crop Water Use Data by Growth Stage
• Calculated Soil Moisture, from the Climate Prediction Center

Mycotoxins & Aflatoxins

• Managing Large Grain Bins for Potential Mycotoxin Contamination
• Nebraska Department of Agriculture Aflatoxin Information for Grain Handlers
• Scout Fields for Aspergillus Ear Rot to Avoid Losses due to Aflatoxin Contamination
• Plant Disease Profiles No. 3: Ear Rot Diseases and Grain Molds (EC1901)
• Understanding Fungal (Mold) Toxins (Mycotoxins) (G1513)
• Use of Feed Contaminated with Fungal (Mold) Toxins (Mycotoxins) (G1514)
• Sampling and Analyzing Feed for Fungal (Mold) Toxins (Mycotoxins) (G1515)

Soil Management

• Using 2012 P Soil Tests for 2013 Production
• Factors to Consider with Fall Fertilization in a Dry Year
• Soil Testing Critical after a Drought Year
• Soil Testing Laboratories in Nebraska

Weed Management

• Herbicide Carryover Concerns - Challenges from the Drought Will Keep on Coming. See this University of Wisconsin article by Vice Davis for the factors involved and what to take into account.