Tag: Weeds

Can weeds tell you about soil health issues? Well, yes and no. I’ve got a lot of experience with weeds since I’ve spent the last 17 years teaching cattle, sheep, goats and bison to eat them under all kinds of soil conditions and all kinds of landscapes. My observation is that spotted knapweed does well […]

Victor Shelton is the NRCS Grazing Specialist and Agronomist for the state of Indiana. He has been writing “Grazing Bites” since 2008 and this article is the 150th he’s written. We’re honored that he shares these with the On Pasture community. Victor says, “Almost every issue has initiated an email or phone call from someone, […]

It’s high in protein – capable of adding 2.2 pounds of gain per day – and spreads 10 to 18 feet a season, AND cows love it. You should too!

Before I started On Pasture, I was best known for having invented a method for teaching cows to eat weeds. The process is based in behavior science and is very simple. In as little as 8 hours spread over 10 days, anyone can teach their livestock to add a new weed to their diet. It […]

Join us for this free workshop on Pasture Renovation and Weed Management. Featuring speakers from the University of Vermont and Kings AgriSeeds. Location: Farm Credit East, Enfield CT. (240 S Rd)

The 2019 Agricultural Learning Symposium on Invasive Weed Management incorporates a number of speakers and presentations into one event. The symposium is intended to be an experiential learning event for folks in the agriculture community. Participants will hear from industry experts and learn about innovations, opportunities, and challenges that are emerging in this rapidly changing industry. The gathering will […]

Farm and Tour Description: When Bub and Lakayah Daugherty purchased D&D Farm in 2013, they set a goal to raise cattle and be profitable. Bub wanted to break the mold and raise cattle differently than the way most in the area had been doing for several generations. Technology and ideas on how to graze cattle […]

Join us for a variety of presentations, discussion at lunch, OFGC membership meeting &  field tour of irrigated pasture trials. Carlos Ochoa, Phd –  Management at watershed scale Gene Pirelli –   Lifetime experience on improved pasture management in Pacific Northwest Shannon Cappellazzi, PhD –  Soil health aspects of pasture management Claudia Ingham, Phd-  Targeted grazing […]

Ian Mitchell-Innes has been practicing Holistic Management for 20 years on his ranch in South Africa. He has made mistakes and wishes to share with Ranchers and Farmers how to avoid these costly mistakes He teaches Farmers and Ranchers how to FEED the whole – Grass,Animal,Soil surface,Sub soil,using animals at High and Ultra High Stock […]

Join Grazing Specialist Kimberly Hagen and partners from the VSGA for a pasture walk to learn about how you and your sheep can manage invasive species. There will be a focus on bedstraw and other weeds in the pastures. Are they nutritious? Will my sheep die if they eat these weeds? (No!) How do I […]

That’s pretty much what the research, and a decade of experience has shown me about using herbicides to control weeds. More about that, plus an alternative that actually works.

Contrary to what you’ve been told, leafy spurge does not cause harm to cattle, and with a little training, they can and will eat it. So why not turn that pest into forage? Here Kathy shares what she’s learned about getting cattle to eat leafy spurge over her decade of teaching cows to eat weeds.

Multiflora rose is one of our more beautiful “mistakes.” It was originally introduced from Japan as rootstock for ornamental roses. In the 1930s the U.S. Soil Conservation Service promoted it for erosion control and living fences and farmers took them up on the idea. In the 1960s the Virginia Highway Department planted it in interstate […]

There is a lot of this white-flowering, leafy plant growing along the side of the road near my house and every time I pass it I think, “Someone needs to get some livestock down here to take advantage of this great forage!” If you’ve got it, here’s what you need to know about it.

This plant compares to alfalfa in nutritional value. Here are some ways to use that nutrition to manage this plant in your pastures.