Though “cutting back” has a distinct economic connotation these days, the focus of this practice needs to shift to another relevant problem, noxious weeds. It’s that time of year when your pasture could be overgrown with many of the weeds considered noxious by the Missouri Legislature. Taking care of these weedy pests should be a high priority to ensure the health of your pasture and crops.
Eldon Cole, a University of Missouri extension livestock specialist, provided a reminder of what a weed is and how it gets on the noxious list. “A weed is basically a plant that is out of place,” explained Cole. “It becomes noxious usually when a citizen or extension person recommends this new weed pest as an invasive, injurious plant to the state, one that could compromise production in a pasture or field with crops,” he continued.
However, noxious weeds aren’t only a threat to your pasture. Not taking care of this problem is actually a misdemeanor. The Missouri statute, section 263.460, states that “the existence or growth of noxious weeds in a noxious weed control area is hereby declared to be a public and common nuisance and the prosecuting attorney for each county declared a noxious weed control area may bring an action in the circuit court of the county to enjoin such nuisance. The action shall be in the name of the state of Missouri and shall be tried as a suit in equity before the court, and shall be against all persons permitting or maintaining such nuisance.” Cole put this legal jargon in to plainer terms. “If it’s on the list, you are responsible for trying to control that weed; you can’t propagate or encourage its growth,” he said.
As for a little more detail on the actual weeds, Cole called on his co-worker, University of Missouri agronomy specialist, Tim Schnakenberg. Schnakenberg said he had the most complaints about thistle, specifically musk thistle. Others that topped his list of complaints were johnsongrass and multiflora rose. “Musk thistle has the potential to take over 2/3 of your pasture, johnsongrass can take over the whole thing, and multiflora rose can reach about 25 percent,” he said.
The best times to spray are in March and April, before the plants have bloomed, and late fall. For spring and fall spraying, the best sprays for thistles are 2 4-D, Grazon, Milestone and a new product, GrazonNext, which is a mix between 2 4-D and Milestone, Schnakenberg said.
“Roguing” is about the only option for this time of year, so bust out that shovel if you’re desperate. “Now through July is roguing only; spraying is just not feasible at this time,” Schnakenberg said. However, when digging up the plants, be conscious of the seeds, as they will create the most problems. “For thistle, it only takes 7 to 10 days to become viable when the bloom turns pink, so if you kill mother plant, you could still have seeds sitting in the plants to grow new in fall,” Schnakenberg said. This is a tough time to get control of weeds; brush clearing is one summer technique you can employ.
