Don’t Let Dry Pastures Drain Your Herd - Put Protein Tubs to Work

The numbers don't lie. As of late April, more than half of South Dakota was under active drought conditions, and the situation across the border is even more severe. As of mid-May, approximately 94% of Nebraska is under active drought conditions, with the majority classified as Extreme (D3) or higher. For producers in south central South Dakota and north central Nebraska, that's not a statistic. It's a reality playing out in thin, stressed pastures right now.

SDSU Extension range specialists have been urging drought planning for livestock producers, noting that delayed turnout, reduced grazing, and reduced stocking rates are a very real possibility this season. Adequate spring moisture is increasingly critical, and with precipitation deficits piling up across the region, many producers are staring down a grass supply that simply won't stretch through summer…at least not without some help.

That's where protein tubs come in.

When forage quality drops, and drought-stressed grass loses protein content fast, cattle have to work harder to maintain condition. They graze more aggressively, cover more ground, overgraze spots they'd normally pass up, and begin to lose body condition before you even realize it's happening. The cycle compounds quickly: poor forage, poor nutrition, poor production.

Protein tubs break that cycle. By delivering a consistent source of protein, minerals, and energy directly to your cattle on pasture, tubs do several important things at once. They help cattle more efficiently digest the lower-quality forage that drought leaves behind. They encourage more uniform grazing across the pasture, reducing overgrazing pressure on your best spots. And they support body condition through a stretch of the season when forage alone just can't carry the load.

The result is a pasture that goes further and a cow herd that comes through summer in the kind of shape that sets up a strong weaning season and a productive rebreeding cycle.

At Elevate Agronomics, we carry a lineup of livestock tubs and mineral products built for exactly these conditions — including the J&R Summer Blend Tub (Heat & Garlic), Form-A-Feed MorePro with MultePli, Bovine Stress Lic with Stealth 5, and the J&R Summer Blend with Clarify, along with a range of mineral options from Form-A-Feed and Redmond to keep your herd covered on all fronts. Whether you're running cow-calf pairs, stockers, or a commercial cow herd, we can help you find the right fit for your operation and your pasture situation.

Drought years are hard. The right tools make them survivable, and sometimes, they make all the difference.