Perfect Pastures Are Possible
Weed control is expensive, time consuming, critical for good livestock pastures and yet it often fails. Welcome to Open Range I’m Susan Allen stay tuned to learn why. The Noble foundation, a nonprofit that assists farmers and ranchers, and conducts plant science research plus agricultural programs that enhance agricultural productivity have an article they titled The Top 7 Reasons Weed-Control Programs Fail. The first reason cited is spraying to early. Don’t just spray the same time you did last year, spray the weeds at the proper time based on stage of growth. It’s also important to know your weed and match the herbicide that controls it. Remember that environmental conditions can wreck havoc on weed control, in a hot spell the weeds aren’t actively growing and won’t take up the herbicide ,wind drift can account poor application. Spraying at the wrong growth stage is another no-no. so is using the cheapest herbicide, often more expensive formulas are required for difficult weeds. Not calibrating the sprayer is also a mistake. Each year sprayers, their nozzles, screens , lines, pumps should be inspected to insure the correct application volume . Finally the most critical of the seven and it seems the most simply is not reading the label. Not following instructions on herbicides not only impacts weed control it violates federal law. If you follow the directions on the herbicide to the letter, the Noble Foundation says that is the best guaranteed for weed free pastures. Visit them online at noble.org for their free helpline
