Using Precipitation to Predict Range Herbage Production in Southwestern Idaho

Abstract

Analyses of 9 years of herbage yield and precipitation data from the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed in southwest Idaho show that annual herbage yield can be estimated by the Sneva and Hyder procedure (Sneva and Hyder 1962a, 1962b) at locations other than where their procedure was developed. These analyses did indicate that for sites below 1,680 m, their procedure was more useful when the crop-year precipitation index was based on a variable number of winter and spring months, rather than September through June. For sites above 1680 m, using winter and spring separately in a modified form of their basic equation may improve yield predictions.