Noxious Weeds Must Be Addressed

Regardless of where you live, there is always that one pasture you drive by on a regular basis that is full of noxious weeds. Aside from the ugliness of a pasture full of weeds, the ground's ability to furnish livestock with forage is diminished as well. Idaho Department of Ag's Administrator of the Division of Plant Industries Lloyd Knight says that weeds in addition to being an annoyance can do a lot of damage to pasture and rangeland.

Knight: "I know when you see those places, they are not only unsightly but the productivity hit that happens on pasture and rangeland. It is hard to measure what the productivity hit is — but we certainly know that it is real. We know that it affects the diversity of species that can be on those. You may plant one particular set of plants or a couple of sets of plants — wanting a particular pasture mix and all of a sudden the weeds have pushed all of your hard work and investment out."

Knight continues with advice on where to go to get advice and help in ridding your pastures of noxious weeds.

Knight: "In each state it is a little bit different as far as the resources available but certainly county extension offices. Those folks that work with a local co-op or a purveyor of ag chemicals — they always have field men who know very well what tools are available to manage weeks and especially those that are specific to a particular operation or region or area. There are a lot of resources out there and people should take advantage of those resources."