Remember to watch for invasive weeds when buying or selling hay. Invasive weeds are exotic plants that have potential to spread and outcompete desirable vegetation. Some examples of invasive weeds that producers might be familiar with are absinthe wormwood, common tansy, leafy spurge, yellow toadflax and baby’ s breath. Invasive weeds can decrease forage yield and quality so we want to keep them out of our pastures and hayfields.
Some best management practices to minimize the spread of invasive weeds include: preventing introduction of invasive weeds, monitoring for them, and managing known infestations.
· Preventing introduction of invasive weeds
o Keeping your equipment clean
o Planning haying activities so that high risk areas like ditches are done last (which reduces the risk of contaminating the following field)
o Minimizing transport of hay or other feed containing invasive plants
o Buying clean hay or managing infested hay bales appropriately
· Monitoring
o Since invasive weeds are easiest and cheapest to manage when they are also least noticeable, this warrants some intentional scouting and observation
o Good monitoring allows for weeds to be controlled before they can reproduce
o Places to monitor include bale yards, feeding sites, fence lines, trails and roadways
o Early Detection and Rapid Response are key to successful invasive weed management. Control weeds as single plants or small patches before they escape and invade whole fields
· Managing known infestations
o Develop an integrated weed management plan based on the weeds that you have and their distribution. This can include chemical, biological or cultural methods to contain or control weeds depending on your situation
o Take precautions to minimize spread from known locations, such as driving around weed patches instead of through them
o Store and feed infested hay in areas where monitoring and control are easy
Implementing these best management practices on your farm can help to minimize the spread of invasive weeds and keep your forages clean and your fields productive.
More information on invasive weeds can be found here.
(This article was prepared by Cassandra Schroeder, range management specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture in Kindersley)
