Development of the Drought Calculator (DC) has been a collaborative process involving USDA-Agricultural Research Service in Fort Collins, Colorado, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service and NDSU Central Grasslands Research Extension Center. Funding was provided by the USDA-Risk Management Agency.
The DC was developed to help ranchers and other rangeland managers assess the impacts of drought on forage production, enabling them to make better informed decisions as to alternative drought strategies. It was developed to assess the impacts of drought on healthy rangeland. That is, rangeland which has high species diversity, vigorously growing plants with deep root systems, minimal bare ground, and adequate plant litter cover to moderate soil surface temperatures. It is not designed to be used as a standalone decision making tool, but rather to supplement and enhance the ranchers or managers own experiences and knowledge related to the impacts of drought on forage production on their operation.
Articles, citations, reports, websites, and multimedia resources focused on rangeland ecology, management, restoration, and other issues on American rangelands.