See the considerations that Florida beef ranchers should bear in mind when formulating a pasture weed management plan.
“There is a lot to consider when formulating a weed management plan,” shared a UF/IFAS blog article. It shared considerations for pasture weed management in The Sunshine State; see the recommendations from UF/IFAS below.
Pasture Weed Management Tips in Drought
According to the article, “It is too dry to spray weeds.” Much of Florida has been in some level of drought all Spring. The article cautions “Please don’t waste your time and/or money spraying pastures until we’ve had some substantial rain and the weeds are no longer drought stressed.”
Identify Weeds First
The article advises, “the first step in any effective weed management program is the accurate identification of the weeds to be managed. All subsequent considerations are based on this knowledge.” While it is possible to get lucky, the article shared, it’s always possible to spray the wrong herbicide on misidentified weeds, wasting that input. “Only when you have correctly identified all the key players will you have the opportunity to put the most efficient plan into action, allowing you to get the most out of each trip over the field, save future application costs and prevent lost productivity,” the article recommends.
Choose the Right Product and Rate
The article recommends ranchers “Find the most cost-effective product or combination of products to control your slate of weeds,” which is not always simple given the wide array of products available.
The article shared these steps for choosing the right product and rate when choosing an herbicide for pasture weed management:
- “Be sure any product you are contemplating is labeled for use in a pasture setting – don’t just google “what kills weed xyz” and order the first thing that pops up.
- Not every product labeled for pasture use is safe on all types of grass – be sure your desired forage is tolerant of any herbicide you consider.
- Product recommendations must include a rate. The right product at the wrong rate will waste money or won’t work as expected.
- There is nothing wrong with using generic herbicides, just make sure to read and follow the label specific to the product you are using (not the better-known name brand).
- Evaluate product cost in terms of $/ac. Knowing the cost of a jug of herbicide is useless without knowing how many acres you can treat with the jug. This means you must know the rate to be applied per acre.
- The best product may be a combination of products.
- Think long term. Understand how products use can impact future land use like planting cool-season annuals or rotating to a cropping system.”
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.