Understanding How Ranchers Adaptively Manage for Drought in Northeastern Colorado

Abstract

As ranchers in the western United States face more severe droughts with increased variability in forage production, their operations and associated rural communities face heightened vulnerability to drought impacts. Predicted increases in the severity and duration of droughts in this region suggest that understanding context-specific responses could allow for more effective drought responses. We employed a mixed-methods approach (mail surveys and focus groups) to understand factors that influence individual rancher's observed adaptive response and use of decision-making indicators to respond to drought. We find that, like other rangeland systems, Colorado shortgrass steppe ranchers are motivated to maintain an economically viable operation through flexible management and diverse income sources in the face of barriers like resource variability, ecological complexity, and other stressors beyond their control (e.g., climate and feed grain markets). The most common adaptation strategy was maintaining conservative stocking rates; however, ranchers also used on-site drought indicators such as decreased soil moisture, decreased summer precipitation, and high plant stress. Our research suggests that in NE Colorado, traditional rangeland management with conservative stocking rates may be an example of adaptive management. Our research suggests that it is critical to understand context to assess the adaptive actions of ranching communities.