The Drought-Resilient Farm [eBook - Biblioboard] : Improve Your Soil's Ability to Hold and Supply Moisture for Plants ; Maintain Feed and Drinking Water for Livestock when Rainfall Is Limited ; Redesign Agricultural Systems to Fit Semi-arid Climates

Rainfall levels are rarely optimal, but there are hundreds of things you can do to efficiently conserve and use the water you do have and to reduce the impact of drought on your soil, crops, livestock, and farm or ranch ecosystem. Author Dale Strickler introduces you to the same innovative systems he used to transform his own drought-stricken family farm in Kansas into a thriving, water-wise, and profitable enterprise, maximizing healthy cropland, pasture, and water supply. Ranging from simple, short-term projects such as installing rain-collection ollas to long-term land-management planning strategies, Strickler’s methods show how to get more water into the soil, keep it in the soil, and help plants and livestock access it. This publication conforms to the EPUB Accessibility specification at WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Defend and fortify your crops, soil, pasture, and livestock against inadequate rainfall -- and even chronic drought -- with strategies from a sixth-generation Kansas farmer and agronomist that will restore soil productivity through grazing, soil microbiology, and cover crops. Dale Strickler shares the lessons he's learned while saving his own family farm from drying up, including installing rain-collection tanks, creating swales, and building retention dams. With Strickler's friendly advice and proven, innovative methods, you'll get more water into your soil, keep it in your soil, and help your plants and livestock access it.--COVER Introduction: the ugly history of drought and the potential for drought resilience -- Getting more water into the soil -- Keeping water in the soil longer -- Helping plants get more water out of the soil -- Ensuring livestock water supply -- Creating drought-tolerant pastures -- Providing emergency forage in a drought -- Livestock decisions during and after the drought -- Moisture-efficient agriculture for the semi-arid regions -- Conclusion, and a checklist of actions to take before and during the next drought. Minimizing the negative effects of drought depends on maximizing the way that soil captures water and makes it available to plants. Farmers, ranchers, and gardeners will learn how to get more water into the soil when it rains, keep water in the soil longer, and help plants -- including pasture staples -- to better extract water from the soil. Those who raise livestock can then delve deeper into ensuring adequate water supply for animals and providing emergency forage in a drought. This in-depth practical guide shows farmers, ranchers, and gardeners how to reduce the impact of less-than-optimal rainfall on crops and livestock with innovative, yet simple techniques for enhancing the water retention of soil and developing a drought management plan. Explains how to protect a farm against inadequate rainfall or chronic drought conditions, including installing rain-collection tanks, creating swales, and building retention dams.