Leafy Spurge

[sumdumguy]

Is taking over around here.

[farmaholic]

Is taking over around here.

Sure hope it doesn't creep down the highway ditch west from here.
I don't think it's much of a problem on cultivated land as it is in pastures and right of way ditches.... Is it?

There's always something, get a handle on one type of weed and another becomes a problem.

[Sheepwheat]

There is a leafy spurge grazing program. Apparently sheep like it quite a bit. Goats even more. It is highly nutritious. Moderately poisonous to cattle though they say. Sheep grazing will eradicate it over time.

[sumdumguy]

We have waged war on leafy spurge in our yard, horse corral and along creeK. Just seeing how spurge has overtaken nearby pastures and grass. So we are mowing all visible patches then spraying with Tordon. Wondering what that heavy rate of Tordon does to the grass?

[farmaholic]

There you go sumdumguy, Sheepwheat has your solution, sheep and goats. You build a fence 6 feet high fence that is capable of holding water and buy some sheep and goats. Sell them to the local ethnic community that eat them.

[sumdumguy]

Maybe Sheepwheat wants to move his flock to the rainless gheto?

[hobbyfrmr]

A Sunday fairy tale. A few years ago a new organic farmer had a canada thistle outbreak on a quarter. His good neighbor stopped in and offered to spray it for him. Then the good neighbor offered to buy the quarter from him. Then the good neighbor called the RM and had the independant 3rd party weed inspector visit the organic farmer with a very strong strong message. Then the organic farmer told everybody to phuck off or talk to his lawyer. Then the weed inspector found leafy spurge in the ditches of that RM while heading home. Then the RM had to buy chemical and pay a custom applicator to spray the ditches with the leafy spurge. Then all the taxpayers paid for that most virtuous farmer’s agenda. The end.

[farmaholic]

Here is another good one. The CN rail line running through our farm, in their infinite wisdom, decided to use a soil sterilant on the banks of its rail bed. Not just the top where the ties, rail and crushed rock are but the slopes of the grade. But not their whole right of way. Actually in some places the sterilant leaked onto adjacent land.

I told the Apprentice the first thing that will regrow there will be weeds. I said thistle. Well here we go, thistles and absinthe growth has started. There is no common sense left in this country.

Instead of letting a thick healthy stand of established grass keep weeds in check with vigorous competition and mowing that grass in fall....now they have a mess that neighboring land owners will have to deal with. Do they realize the grass will help keep the bed dry by using excess water and the sod root system will help stabilize the banks/shoulders of the bed?

Book smart practically stupid.

[hobbyfrmr]

Here is another good one. The CN rail line running through our farm, in their infinite wisdom, decided to use a soil sterilant on the banks of its rail bed. Not just the top where the ties, rail and crushed rock are but the slopes of the grade. But not their whole right of way. Actually in some places the sterilant leaked onto adjacent land.

I told the Apprentice the first thing that will regrow there will be weeds. I said thistle. Well here we go, thistles and absinthe growth has started. There is no common sense left in this country.

Instead of letting a thick healthy stand of established grass keep weeds in check with vigorous competition and mowing that grass in fall....now they have a mess that neighboring land owners will have to deal with. Do they realize the grass will help keep the bed dry by using excess water and the sod root system will help stabilize the banks/shoulders of the bed?

Book smart practically stupid.

A similar pattern to farmer’s headlands. Burn off and dessicate that extra foot to “keep it clean”. The grass dies and canada thistle thrives. It is very easy to see this around the middle of August.
Its one of the silliest “us vs. them” arguments a conventional farmer tries to use on organic. I only relay the story because this farmer is not a good person and has very few friends because of his character. Most farmers I talk with chuckled at the chain of events because he initiated it.