Working Ranch Magazine - Index

Working Ranch Magazine - magazine - Index

According to Hendrix, Tall Whitetop
and Russian Knapweed are giving him
the biggest problem. “I’ve been working
on it for five years,” Hendrix
claims, adding that chemicals seem to
be the only thing that works. He uses a
ground rig to spray 2,4-D
and he’s started using
Tordon this year. “You disc
them up and you can’t kill
them. I think it’s going to
do a lot of damage if we
don’t get it under control.”
GRAZING PATTERNS
PLAY A ROLE
Jim Gerrish, a range management
and grazing consultant
based in Idaho, figures
herbicides are only part
of the solution. “I just don’t
think they are valuable as a
long-term solution to weed
management.” He says situations often
call for herbicides when someone takes
over a new pasture that has been neglected
and weeds have gotten out of
hand. “I think the biggest weed control
mistake most ranchers make is when
they treat symptoms rather than dealing
with the problem,” claims Gerrish.
“In most cases, weed invasion of pastures
or rangelands is a symptom of
either overstocking, inappropriate
grazing and/or rest management, or
“I predict, without
question, that Goatsrue
will become a major
weed throughout the
Western U.S.”
Steven Dewey,extension weed
specialist at Utah State University
soil fertility in the pasture situation.
Most weeds can be dealt with through
changes in grazing and stock management.
It is very rare that weeds invade
a healthy pasture.”
Gerrish has noticed that Spotted
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Knapweed is the most common weed
problem in the valley where he lives.
“Grazing at high stock density with
cattle and with short grazing periods
has brought knapweed under control
on many ranches through the
Intermountain region.
Sheep will do an even bet-
ter job if properly managed.”
Gerrish explains
that a few entrepreneurs
rent out flocks of goats
and sheep to clean out
weeds from pastures. The
goal is to have the animals
deplete the seed base,
thereby reducing weed
populations. “It gets them
into check more than
elimination.”
Leafy Spurge is a nonnative
plant Gerrish sees
often. Native to Asia and
Europe, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture has listed it as a noxious
weed in 35 states. According to the
USDA, the species costs producers and
taxpayers an estimated $144 million a
year in Montana, Wyoming and the
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JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2008 | WORKING RANCH | 83