Elliott Dennis is an assistant professor of livestock marketing in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Approximately 35 percent of the total land area in the continental U.S. is used for livestock grazing. Fluctuations in grazed land areas and cow herd density can be seen across the diverse regions of the country’s geography, with beef cow herds tended to follow cheap and nutrient-rich forage. So what are the implications of forage production, beef cow herds and stocking density when it comes to the possibility of partially liquidating herds due to drought?