Drought Decisions for Range Livestock Producers

Severe drought conditions existed over a large portion of the Rocky Mountains and Northern Great Plains regions of the U.S. for most of 2002. There has not been much relief of these drought conditions in January or February of 2003 for most of the impacted areas. For some of the area, this is the third year of an extended drought. How has this drought impacted the cattle industry? What have producers done to cope with the drought and what are some alternatives for this year if drought conditions persist? Providing answers to these questions is the goal of this article