REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- While many areas of the Midwest have no drought situation, others have as bad as D3 drought conditions. For Missouri cattleman Bruce Mershon, good pasture conditions are important for the cows and stockers he grazes across the state.

"Our spring looked really good. We were getting rain in a timely manner and crops were even planted early," he said. "Then in July, the rain shut off and we are looking at drought conditions again."

Mershon runs about 2,300 commercial cows with headquarters in Buckner, Missouri, near Kansas City. His cattle graze on pastures in 13 counties in west-central Missouri. He bales hay on many of the pastures early and then turns cattle out for grazing. "We even hayed some pastures we don't normally because we really thought we'd have enough grass, but when the rains shut off, we didn't get the regrowth we wanted," he added.

DROUGHT CONDITIONS INCREASED

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said drought conditions built in across Missouri and Illinois over the late summer and some areas of Nebraska and Iowa as well. Parts of Nebraska suffered poor pasture and range conditions for most of the year. "Other areas of Nebraska and Iowa saw enough precipitation to hold back conditions from getting too bad, but soil moisture slowly fell throughout the fall," Baranick added.

The weather pattern was a little more active across Missouri and southern Illinois over the late fall, and both drought reduction and increased soil moisture have been the result. But Baranick said even with the improvement, he doesn't think too many producers feel good about weather conditions going into the winter.

Mershon said for his operation, 2 inches of rain in September makes all the difference for fall grass growth and fall grazing conditions. The good news for him is an abundance of hay is available throughout most of Missouri and the Midwest. "I'd rather graze cattle than feed hay, but the variable weather means we have to have hay available," Mershon said.

For the first time, he is grazing milo for the fall and winter months. The addition of water sources has helped improve their rotational grazing system to get the most out of their pastures. "Our goal is to continue to have better grazing conditions despite what the weather is doing," he added.

WINTER CONDITIONS HAVE MOVED IN

Baranick said winter is expected to provide some needed precipitation for many areas, but the arctic cold temperatures will shut down forages in most of the Midwest for the winter season. "The weather pattern for the winter will likely be a harsh one for the first half. Frequent bursts of cold, arctic air are expected along with erratic precipitation," he said.

The second half of winter is expected to be more favorable for Missouri and Illinois with weather patterns stabilizing. Increased precipitation would help reduce the drought and set up forages for the spring, according to Baranick. He warns some areas could still see increased drought if they miss the moisture.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @JennCattleGal

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