Overwinter Soil Water Recharge and Herbage Production as Influenced by Contour Furrowing on Eastern Montana Rangelands

Abstract

On fine-textured range sites in southeastern Montana, contour furrowing increased average overwinter soil water recharge 11 mm on a saline-upland range site and 39 mm on a panspot range site. Increased recharge resulted from decreased late fall and early spring runoff and increased snow accumulation. Overwinter recharge was a function of both antecedent soil water and the amount of water available for recharge. Herbage production was significantly (r = 0.89) related to spring soil water content.