Drought and Post-Fire Pasture and Range Management

Published: 2022
By Katie Hatlelid

The Fall of 2021 brought three major fires in the greater Central Montana area. Part of one of those fires started in Judith Basin County, and rapidly moved east into Fergus. The extremely dry and windy conditions that led to the fire and then continued through the winter season took a heavy toll on the grazing land that it covered. In May, Judith Basin MSU Extension hosted a drought management and post-fire recovery workshop. Jeff Mosley, MSU Extension Range Management Specialist, and Hayes Goosey, MSU Extension Forage Specialist spoke about grazing decisions, weed control after fire and drought, drought management in improved forages, and IPM strategies for grasshoppers and blister beetles. After a delicious lunch catered locally, the attendees went to the Ward Ranch north of Stanford to look at the burned area and how it was recovering. MSU Extension Agent Katie Hatlelid also demonstrated some useful scouting techniques for weeds and insects and shared some plant and weed identification tools.