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Drought is generally defined as a prolonged period during which annual precipitation is less than 75 percent of average. Based upon this definition, drought has occurred in 21 percent of the years in the northern Great Plains since 1940. Poor distribution of precipitation in a single year or less than average precipitation in successive years can also cause drought conditions.
This extension circulation discusses the following: how plants respond to drought, management preparation for drought, herd management, animal response to drought, predicting forage production and stocking rates, drought management plans, rangeland resource inventory, grazing management, and plant recovery after drought.