There is something humbling about depending on forces outside of your control to make a living in farming.

Many southern U.S. regions once plagued by ongoing drought have seen substantial precipitation this past month. Although this rain is a welcome change, it occurred during a crucial harvest window for many small-grain crops – leaving many producers pondering the best means to handle these forages.

2022 was a challenging year regarding precipitation throughout much of the Central and Western portions of the U.S. Many major cow-calf production regions, particularly in the central and southern Plains, are continuing to experience drought.

The three-year lament appears to be ending as readings in the Pacific Ocean portend warming waters in 2023. El Nino weather patterns, when warming Pacific waters create moisture in much of the West and Midwest states, have been missing since 2019. La Nina, the uglier twin sibling of El Nino, where colder ocean temperatures lead to warmer and less water, has hung around since then worsened the Western drought.

What are ecosystem processes? They are the water cycle, the mineral cycle, the energy cycle and secondary plant succession. These four processes exist on all land.