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The drought conditions have left forage resources for this year's fall and winter in short supply for most producers. Over the last couple of months, calves have been early weaned and cattle herds have been culled heavily, relocated to pasture or completely dispersed.

The Noble Research Institute offers assistance, continues research for drought-stricken Southern Great Plains.

Unless we have an atypically wet summer, many producers will be forced to implement some drought management strategies, if they have not already. Here are a couple of topics to keep in mind looking forward to the remaining summer.

The likelihood of wildfires occurring increases during late fall and winter months due to dormant grass, fallen tree leaves and periods of high winds and low humidities.

There is a common denominator for producers who cope with drought better than others - they all have active drought management plans.

As we prepare for fertilizer application this spring, two important questions come to mind: what happened to fertilizer I applied last year and do we need to fertilize or not?

Eragrostis tef is a warm-season annual grass from Ethiopia related to lovegrass. It has historically been grown in northern Africa for the seed, which is used to make bread. In the United States, teff is being promoted for forage and grain.

As if to add insult to injury, drought conditions make weed control even more challenging and important than usual. Weeds compete for light, nutrients, space and, most importantly during a drought, water.

Drought conditions cause extreme stress on pecan trees. It is important for producers to understand the effects of drought and how pecan trees cope with the stress it brings.

Mistakes are commonly made when producers face a drought, we've outlined some helpful hints.