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Know Your Weed Enemies
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When spring 2024 rains totaled the average annual rainfall in southwestern Arkansas, Skipper Davis had to make a few adjustments to his typical pasture spraying schedule.
“Normally, we can get our first cutting of ryegrass off before we start spraying, but the wet weather put us about a month behind and gave weeds more opportunity,” Davis says.
Davis owns and operates a cow-calf herd, and he occasionally grazes a few yearlings when the operation has grass to spare. His pastures are spread out, and because of the varying soil types, so is his weed pressure.
“Our pastures are about 40 minutes apart from one another, and we’re dealing with different types of pasture ground,” Davis says. “We see goatweed (woolly croton, doveweed) and horsenettle in the pastures north of town, and we have marshelder to deal with in the pastures that are farther south.”
He says that no matter the weather conditions, the key to good weed control is knowing your enemy. That’s why he frequently references the Corteva Agriscience Range & Pasture Weed ID Guide that his GreenPoint Ag retailer shared with him. This guide can be found at RangeandPasture.com/StewardWeedID.
“You have to know what weeds you’re up against, because if you don’t get the right herbicide mix, or the right application timing, you can lose a lot of grass,” he says. “I like to spray pastures when weeds are small, ideally less than 6 inches for best control.”
Davis works closely with his retailer to select the right herbicides for effective weed and brush control and maximum forage production. The weed control prescription often varies by pasture.
“We try to apply GrazonNext HL or GrazonPD3 herbicide, depending on what weeds we’re guarding against and where we’re spraying,” he says. He also uses a mix of GrazonNext® HL and Remedy® herbicides to spot-spray pesky brush species, such as honeylocusts, as needed.
GrazonPD3™ herbicide is the most recent addition to Davis’ pasture spray program; his retailer recommended it because of the low volatility profile. Containing 2,4-D choline and picloram, GrazonPD3 relies on trusted, proven active ingredients in a practically nonvolatile formulation, giving Davis more peace of mind when spraying pastures that border housing developments and neighbors’ home gardens.
“GrazonPD3 works great — especially in areas where we’re looking for extra reassurance the product will stay where it’s sprayed,” he says.
In addition to the low volatility, Davis sees benefit in the herbicide having lower use rates and less packaging.
“We use 20 fluid ounces of GrazonPD3 per acre in our pastures,” he says. “When we can get great weed control with one less jug, that’s a big advantage.”
You can learn more about GrazonPD3 at GrazonPD3.com/Steward.
No pasture left untreated
Davis employs multiple pasture management practices that work to extend the grazing season, including crossfencing, pasture rotation, keeping adequate stocking rates and stockpiling forage. But he says a good pasture spray program is the strategy that provides the best return on investment.
“Feed input costs can make or break a cattle operations’ profitability, and pasture is our lowest-cost feed source,” he says. “Each acre only grows so many pounds of weeds, or so many pounds of grass. I want it to be grass.”
And if there is ever any doubt on whether the spray program pays off, the proof can be found in the pasture.
“One year, we had a nozzle go bad and the weeds came up in 15-inch rows. It really makes you think about what the pastures would look like if we hadn’t sprayed them at all,” he says. “We try to cover everything, but we miss sometimes — and that’s when we really see the difference.”
Davis plans to share these weed control recipes and other learnings with his son, Walker. Walker has a degree in agricultural business from the University of Arkansas and is currently learning the insurance industry as a sales advisor in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Skipper and Walker look forward to managing the operation together in the years to come.
GrazonPD3™ is a Restricted Use Pesticide. GrazonPD3 is not for sale, distribution or use in Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York state. GrazonNext® HL has no grazing or haying restrictions for any class of livestock, including lactating dairy cows, horses (including lactating mares) and meat animals prior to slaughter. Label precautions apply to forage treated with GrazonNext HL and to manure and urine from animals that have consumed treated forage. Consult the label for full details. GrazonNext HL is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. GrazonNext HL is not for sale, distribution or use in New York state and San Luis Valley of Colorado. State restrictions on the sale and use of Remedy® and Remedy® Ultra apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.