In the Wake of Drought: Pasture Assessment and Recovery Planning
By Sara Ziegler, Research Specialist, University of Vermont Extension, Heather Darby, Professor of Agronomy, University of Vermont Extension, and Elizabeth Seyler, Outreach Specialist, University of Vermont Extension
If you’re a farmer in the Northeast, you’re probably sick of historic weather events that dominate your daily life, year after year. Unfortunately, last year there was no exception: Devastating drought conditions swept the region (Image 1). Though we’d like to think these conditions will settle out into something normal sooner or later, their aftermath can impact us for a long time.
In the winter, we often reflect on the past and plan for the future. In the wake of stressful weather, this process is even more critical. What happened last season can give us valuable insight into areas on the farm that are particularly vulnerable or that we already know will need extra attention this spring.
The way our pastures handle drought conditions depends on many factors, one of which is how we managed them in the weeks and months leading to the drought. Stands that were already stressed from over-grazing before the drought likely sustained severe damage and will recover slowly compared to those stands that were in good condition. Review your grazing records and think back to June and July when weather conditions were more ideal; pastures you took advantage of a bit too much at that time should be at the top of your list to monitor this spring.
We should also think about how we managed our pastures when moisture started to return in the fall. With more mild temperatures and a bit of rainfall, pasture plants were able to emerge from dormancy and begin growing again. However, they likely had to mobilize significant energy reserves to do so. If pastures were grazed at this time, we may have caused damage without realizing it (or without choice). Depending on the time of grazing, the plants may not have had sufficient time build their energy reserves before entering fall dormancy. These pastures should also be monitored and may require extra management.
Other areas to monitor include fields with pre-existing weed pressure or fertility concerns. Stands that are weakened from drought and fertility stress will be less vigorous and thus less able to keep opportunistic weeds from further encroaching. Providing plants with the nutrients they need to grow will help to further reduce stress on the recovering stand. Check your soil tests and if possible, apply recommended nutrients in the early spring just as the plants begin to green-up.
heavy use areas such as water areas.
Finally, high-impact areas such as around water tubs and bale feeding sites were even more likely to be damaged than normal during last year’s drought (Image 2). These spots are good candidates for some targeted early season frost seeding to get growth going immediately on those bare areas.
To get a clearer picture of which stands are likely to fully recover without any seeding, it is usually best to wait until the snow melts and plants start to green up (Images 3 -a and 3-b, attached at bottom of article). There are several ways to visually assess your pastures. In general, you want to judge how much of the soil is covered by living desirable species. Do so by walking across your fields in a W or S pattern, much like taking a soil sample, stopping occasionally to see what is at the tip of your boot, noting how many times you find desirable species versus weeds or bare soil. You may want to also dig up plants and inspect their roots to make sure they are healthy. The interior of healthy roots is generally white or light colored; discoloration can be a sign of injury.
There are several variations of this method, but whatever you do, it is important to get a good look at the whole field and try to be unbiased about where you stop to assess the stand. There is an excellent illustrated guide through the University of Oklahoma that evaluates drought or stand injury with a piece of cattle panel serving as grid to measure frequency of damage (https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/print-publications/pss/assessing-drought-damage-in-perennial-grass-pastures-pss-2593.pdf) .
created from a cattle panel.
With this method, you lay the 5 x 5 grid and count the number of squares with at least one desirable species present. (Image and methods can be found at https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/print-publications/pss/assessing-drought-damage-in-perennial-grass-pastures-pss-2593.pdf.) This is done at 4 locations throughout the field. You add up the total squares with desirable species, with a maximum score of 100 and a minimum of 0. To best capture variability throughout the field this process should be completed numerous times. Recommended cutoffs vary but, generally, a stand is considered moderately damaged if the frequency of desirable species is between 40 and 70 and severely damaged if frequency is less than 40.
In most cases, stands can make a recovery, but time and patience are required. In addition, possible modifications to management may be needed including fertilizing, deferred grazing, and introduction of new seed.
Patience and time aren’t always readily available, especially if feed reserves are low so consider what fields to prioritize and what strategies you will be able to implement to help stands rebound. Really, we are focused on helping the roots to recover and build biomass so they can access moisture and nutrients to assist the aboveground portion to flourish! The energy reserves of the plant are in the roots and crown of plants and are the resources the plant must draw from to regrow after grazing, mowing, or dormancy periods. So low energy reserves from last season mean slow spring growth.
It is critical that drought damaged pastures are not grazed too early to allow time for adequate root growth and re-establishment. As much as possible we should try to avoid early grazing in the areas that were most stressed last year. Give those areas as much time to replenish energy reserves as possible before you stress them again. Go back to your grazing plan and see where you might be able to give yourself a bit more wiggle room. Think about mixing up your rotation, starting somewhere else on the farm, and going in a different order to give these areas more rest. Explore opportunities to add additional acreage into your rotation to allow severely damaged fields more time to rest. Are there any nearby hayfields you may be able to graze? If you’re planning how to distribute your manure and fertilizer resources, consider addressing areas you identified as low fertility last year to further support their recovery.
Once grazing, pay close attention to pasture growth rates. Adjust your rotation accordingly, increasing recovery periods as necessary to minimize further damage and allow pastures to fully recover from last year’s drought stress. Be careful to leave ample residual behind so they don’t draw extensively from root reserves and are able to bounce back more quickly. These same principles apply to fields managed for hay. Remember not to go back into a pasture until the plants have recovered. Refresh your knowledge of how to look at grass tillers and count the number of fully grown leaves. Do not graze anything before the grass tillers have at least three fully grown and expanded leaves. Be observant and take note of areas that continue to struggle.
Generally introducing new seed is recommended if the stand has <50% coverage. For seeding to be successful there needs to be good seed-to-soil contact, adequate and consistent moisture, and reduced competition from the existing stand. The first two can be accomplished through careful timing and selection of equipment, such as a no-till drill to improve seed placement in the soil. The third, however, often takes some additional preparation or consideration. Stands that were heavily impacted by the drought, have bare soil, and reduced plants stands will likely be well suited for frost seeding. These stands will likely be less competitive in the spring so it would take well to frost seeding or early interseeding.
Managing these severely damaged stands similar to a “new seeding” will help the stand as a whole! As with newly seeded pastures, provide extra time to recover as there are not only recovering plants in the field but also new seedlings that need to establish sufficiently before getting trampled and grazed. Graze these areas higher as to not allow livestock to damage new seedlings. If you seed in late summer or fall, make sure you allow for at least 6-8 weeks of growth before stands go dormant for winter. With some reflection, planning, assessment, and adaptive management, we can avoid inflicting additional damage on our pastures this year, allowing them to recover and remain strong and productive.
The authors can be reached: Sara Ziegler, Research Specialist, University of Vermont Extension, St. Albans, VT 05478, Heather Darby, Professor of Agronomy, University of Vermont Extension, St. Albans, VT 05478, Elizabeth Seyler, Outreach Specialist, University of Vermont Extension, St. Albans, VT 05478
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Posted: to Organic Production on Tue, Mar 3, 2026
Updated: Fri, Mar 6, 2026