Spring drought pressures ranchers and Buffalo herds
Summary:
Drought conditions are limiting spring grass growth, putting pressure on ranchers to make difficult decisions about feeding their Buffalo herds. While many are choosing to invest in supplemental feed, tools and USDA support programs are available to help manage forage needs and offset losses during these challenging conditions.
5 Key Points:
Spring forage growth is lower than expected due to ongoing drought conditions.
Ranchers are facing tough decisions — buy supplemental feed or reduce herd size.
Many ranchers are choosing to feed their Buffalo rather than sell or harvest.
Tools like the Rangeland Analysis Platform and Web Soil Survey help estimate forage capacity and stocking rates.
USDA programs, including the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) and low-interest loans, offer support during drought and disaster conditions.
Read full version below.
Spring is here but due to drought there is less grass growth than expected. There are ranchers counting on spring growth to feed their Buffalo herd coming out of winter but are finding less forage available than expected due to drought.
Less grass means ranchers must make hard choices like needing to buy more supplemental feed like hay or reduce their herd size so there is enough for everyone to eat. Many choose to buy food for the Buffalo rather than sell or harvest.
Resources exist for ranchers to estimate a proper stocking rate to ensure there is enough forage available based on the number of animals they have, acres, and forage production or growth rates. One is the Rangeland Analysis Platform, a free online tool that ranchers can upload a digital map of their land and the program calculates how many animals can be sustained for that exact area using satellite imagery data.
Web Soil Survey (WSS) is another free online tool where users can upload their ranch map to estimate forage production. A useful feature of WSS is that it can calculate forage estimates for normal, favorable, or unfavorable years. This setting is especially helpful in times of drought or unfavorable years so ranchers can determine how many Buffalo the land can sustain.
Programs exist that can assist ranchers during these times of drought like those offered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). The FSA’s Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) offers financial support to ranchers who experience grazing losses due to qualifying drought conditions or fire. South Dakota counties including Bennett, Custer, Oglala Lakota, Pennington, Tripp, Yankton, and others have been in drought since April 2026. To see if your county is eligible, visit your local FSA office or check the LFP webpage at the link below.
https://www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/livestock-forage-disaster-program-lfp/maps
In addition, FSA announced the availability of Low-Interest Physical Loss Loans for ranchers affected by natural disasters. South Dakota ranchers located in Bennett, Oglala Lakota, Todd, or Tripp County who experienced losses such as ranch equipment, animals, or hay from wildfires that occurred March 12, 2026, and onward are eligible.
To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center.
