Across the Great Plains, farmers and ranchers are entering another summer under dry conditions, balancing feed costs, stocking rates and long-term pasture health while hoping for rain that may or may not come in time. For many, drought planning is no longer an occasional challenge, but rather a part of the business model.

Across much of the U.S., ranchers are dealing with a shift that’s been building for years: The patterns they’ve relied on are changing.

Back in November, the USDA and the Department of the Interior announced a partnership promising something many Western cattle producers haven’t heard in years: more opportunity for grazing on public lands, not less.

Most of us grew up learning about the dangers of wildfire from a cartoon bear in a ranger hat, saying, “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.”

Besides spray recommendations, pasture plantings contribute to the volume of calls that extension agents and specialists get in the spring. What should I plant? Where can I find the seed? How should I get seed in the ground?