Grass-Cast is a collaboration among the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), Colorado State University, the University of Arizona, and the USDA Climate Hubs.įunding for this project came from the USDA ARS and NRCS, and the National Drought Mitigation Center. Grass-Cast provides forecast information only for vegetation quantity, not quality. This can help identify where grazing resources might be more plentiful when their own region is at risk from drought. Grass-Cast does give ranchers and other managers a broad view of grassland productivity across the Great Plains and Southwest regions. Producers should therefore monitor pastures to see which ones respond better (or worse) to the weather and adjust Grass-Cast’s productivity estimates upward (or downward) accordingly. Grass-Cast also does not account directly for local management practices, such as grazing intensity in previous years. Monitor these different vegetation types to see if one is responding to the weather better than the other and adjust Grass-Cast’s productivity estimates accordingly. So, it is important for grassland managers to know what proportion of a pasture is occupied by weeds, and how well those weeds respond to rain (or lack of rain) compared to the desirable species. Grass-Cast cannot tell the difference between desirable forage species and undesirable forage species. Similarly, public land managers should not use Grass-Cast as a sole source of information for setting stocking rates, turnout dates, or other aspects of lease agreements, allotments, or permits. Ranchers and rangeland managers will need to combine the information from Grass-Cast with their knowledge of local soils, plant communities, topography, grazing history, and other conditions as part of their decision-making process. It therefore becomes more accurate as the growing season unfolds and should be consulted throughout the growing season. Grass-Cast is first published in the spring (typically beginning in late April) and then updated every two weeks with newly observed weather data. Flip the grid over for a flat searing surface for fish or seafood. Grass-Cast indicates for ranchers and other grassland managers whether productivity (pounds per acre) is likely to be above-normal, near-normal, or below-normal in the upcoming growing season relative to the 30+ year history of their local area (individual 6-mile x 6-mile grid cells). The cast iron gets very hot and retains the heat, turning it into a perfect searing surface. Aluminum Cast Iron Porcelain Porcelain-Enamel Cast Iron Stainless Steel Steel Grill Type All Purpose Charcoal Grills & Smokers Electric Grills & Smokers Gas Grills & Smokers Kamado Grills Pellet Grills & Smokers Ask an Expert Buy with confidence.
An innovative Grassland Productivity Forecast or “Grass-Cast” is now helping producers in the Great Plains and Southwest regions reduce this economically important source of uncertainty. Every spring, ranchers face the same difficult challenge – trying to guess how much grass will be available for livestock to graze during the upcoming summer.
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