LivestockBehaviorEbooksPasture HealthWeeds Turn Your Livestock Into Weed Eaters By Kathy Voth - March 1, 2021 0 2112 For resources on training livestock to eat weeds and what weeds are edible, check out the 2-ebook set and other articles and links here. FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsApp In 2004, Kathy Voth began developing a method to teach cows to eat weeds. Her first attempt was with a small herd at Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site in Deer Lodge, Montana. She taught them to eat Canada thistle, Leafy spurge and Spotted knapweed. Since then she’s trained over 1,000 cattle, some sheep, goats and a herd of Ted Turner’s bison to eat many of our most problematic weeds. The process is based on animal behavior principles and takes just 8 hours spread over 7 days. Trained animals teach their offspring and herd mates and go on to try other weeds in pasture. They remember for years, so do it once and you’re done. (Have you ever heard that from an herbicide sales person?) Training Resources Train your livestock to eat weeds with this two-ebook set: Cows Eat Weeds covers the science behind the training process and the challenges and solutions to them from my ten years of training livestock across the U.S. and Canada. Check out the Table of Contents and download a book excerpt. Edible Weeds & Training Recipe is a quick start guide to putting together your own training process. It includes a list of 142 weeds describing whether they are edible or not with tips for how to approach training for them. If you don’t find your weed here, email Kathy and she’ll look up your weed for you! Together they’re everything you need to successfully turn your livestock into weed eaters. $24 for the two ebook set Want More? Click here to see Videos of the Training in Action Read On Pasture Articles How to Teach Cows to Eat Weeds in Just 8 Hours Over 7 Days 43% Better – The Economics of Getting Your Livestock to Eat Weeds Why Cows That Learn to Eat One Weed Will Choose to Eat Others I Know You Paid A Lot of Money to Manage Weeds, But It Just Doesn’t Work Have You Discovered the Benefits of Canada Thistle? High Density Grazing for Spotted Knapweed Suppression Can Cattle Eat Leafy Spurge? Can Cows Eat Woolly Croton (Goatweed/Doveweed)? Yes! Your Livestock Can Eat Horsenettle! (and Mimosa/Chamberbitter weed, Teaweed/Spiny Sida, and Goldenrod) Multiflora Rose Makes a Great Alternative Forage! Whitetop/Hoary Cress – Whatever You Call It, Livestock Love it! Overcoming Our Brush Prejudice Adjusting Assumptions When Training Livestock to Eat Weeds Want even more weed-eating articles? Explore the category here. PrintEmail Related
