Neighbors got more thistles than grass

[cow pollinater]

Oh I forgot to mention on my side in my pastures I thought only the donkeys were eating the thistle blooms but I seen a few cows eating them too. I'm assuming donkey manure is hot like horse manure. So would the seeds get burnt up. Then the cow manure is cold so would the seeds pass through and the cows basically spread them?

The seeds float on the wind. You can worry about what does and doesn't make it through a cow but your real enemy is wind. Every single bloom that makes it to seed is next years outbreak.

 

[JW IN VA]

Interesting topic. I have a neighbor that is a cattle wheeler-dealer of sorts, with at least 300 head at anytime in the various places he owns or rents nearby. He doesn't do anything to control a Canadian Thistle infestation or weeds onhis side of the fence. My side is practically clear of them. I hate to complain much too because:

I have known him for close to 30 years. 15 years ago he loaned me a bull of the breed of my choice when I had no money to buy one. I can attribute that to me having a mostly Charolais herd today. If something would happen to mine could get a bull of my choice dropped off anytime within a few days until I found another. He'll loan me about anything I need on short notice, such as a loader tractor. I let him cut line fences in two places to move in a mobile home across my property for a relative when there was no other way in. He bought a connecting piece of property to mine and asked if he could use some of my water for a while until he got a meter installed. I said absolutely but showed him an existing water meter on his property. He would do the same for me. That's practically how all the neighbors are in the near vicinity. We share an 8 strand barbed wire fence with one hot wire which we both maintain. Before the hot wire the bulls tore it up and I had a tame pure Brahma bull in with mine. I said it would be nice to have a couple calves from him so he said just keep him a month or two and we'll get him back. We neighbors have a very good relationship which I would like to keep.

Exactly how the neighbor relationship should work. Not everyone puts the same level of importance on things that others do.

 

[bmoore87]

Interesting topic. I have a neighbor that is a cattle wheeler-dealer of sorts, with at least 300 head at anytime in the various places he owns or rents nearby. He doesn't do anything to control a Canadian Thistle infestation or weeds onhis side of the fence. My side is practically clear of them. I hate to complain much too because:

I have known him for close to 30 years. 15 years ago he loaned me a bull of the breed of my choice when I had no money to buy one. I can attribute that to me having a mostly Charolais herd today. If something would happen to mine could get a bull of my choice dropped off anytime within a few days until I found another. He'll loan me about anything I need on short notice, such as a loader tractor. I let him cut line fences in two places to move in a mobile home across my property for a relative when there was no other way in. He bought a connecting piece of property to mine and asked if he could use some of my water for a while until he got a meter installed. I said absolutely but showed him an existing water meter on his property. He would do the same for me. That's practically how all the neighbors are in the near vicinity. We share an 8 strand barbed wire fence with one hot wire which we both maintain. Before the hot wire the bulls tore it up and I had a tame pure Brahma bull in with mine. I said it would be nice to have a couple calves from him so he said just keep him a month or two and we'll get him back. We neighbors have a very good relationship which I would like to keep.

Exactly how the neighbor relationship should work. Not everyone puts the same level of importance on things that others do.

If they had junk in there pasture it wouldn't bother me a bit but the amount of thistles (so thick you couldnt see the sheep in spots) and closeness to our pasture was making it a loosing battle with all the seeds blowing in that would have cost me time and money if I would have let it go the way it was.

We talked and they agreed to let me area spray it this year since it was so widespread and just spot spray or bush hog in the future. Talked about other options like bush hogging to start with but they saw it was getting away from them at that point and couldnt get to all the patches with the bushhog. Spent parts of 3 weekends out their using grazeon/ crossbow and have most of the worst stuff done. Their was alot of bare dirt afterwards and thought theyd have to plant grass but it actually grew in pretty quick with very few weeds. Good news is they decided that livestock was more work than they had planned on and asked me to rent it. Just turned out the first group of heifers this weekend and think its going to work out great.

 

[littletom]

Interesting topic. I have a neighbor that is a cattle wheeler-dealer of sorts, with at least 300 head at anytime in the various places he owns or rents nearby. He doesn't do anything to control a Canadian Thistle infestation or weeds onhis side of the fence. My side is practically clear of them. I hate to complain much too because:

I have known him for close to 30 years. 15 years ago he loaned me a bull of the breed of my choice when I had no money to buy one. I can attribute that to me having a mostly Charolais herd today. If something would happen to mine could get a bull of my choice dropped off anytime within a few days until I found another. He'll loan me about anything I need on short notice, such as a loader tractor. I let him cut line fences in two places to move in a mobile home across my property for a relative when there was no other way in. He bought a connecting piece of property to mine and asked if he could use some of my water for a while until he got a meter installed. I said absolutely but showed him an existing water meter on his property. He would do the same for me. That's practically how all the neighbors are in the near vicinity. We share an 8 strand barbed wire fence with one hot wire which we both maintain. Before the hot wire the bulls tore it up and I had a tame pure Brahma bull in with mine. I said it would be nice to have a couple calves from him so he said just keep him a month or two and we'll get him back. We neighbors have a very good relationship which I would like to keep.

Really sounds like the kinda of guy you could go talk to about it. He may want them gone just as bad but has a time issue. I bet together you all can get rid of them. You both sound like good guys and neighbors. Don't let it eat at you every summer.

 

[dun]

If they had junk in there pasture it wouldn't bother me a bit but the amount of thistles (so thick you couldnt see the sheep in spots) and closeness to our pasture was making it a loosing battle with all the seeds blowing in that would have cost me time and money if I would have let it go the way it was.

We talked and they agreed to let me area spray it this year since it was so widespread and just spot spray or bush hog in the future. Talked about other options like bush hogging to start with but they saw it was getting away from them at that point and couldnt get to all the patches with the bushhog. Spent parts of 3 weekends out their using grazeon/ crossbow and have most of the worst stuff done. Their was alot of bare dirt afterwards and thought theyd have to plant grass but it actually grew in pretty quick with very few weeds. Good news is they decided that livestock was more work than they had planned on and asked me to rent it. Just turned out the first group of heifers this weekend and think its going to work out great.

Now if he will let you manage it the way you want you should be in decent shape.

 

[riquezada]

No big deal... The guy has the equipment, hired hands and probably the chemicals in a shed. Good looking pastures are low on his totem pole. His weedy pastures seem to raise some good looking cows though. Today he sent a new tractor and a hired hand to unload hay for me...2 more loads tomorrow too.

 

[OldCrow]

No big deal... The guy has the equipment, hired hands and probably the chemicals in a shed. Good looking pastures are low on his totem pole. His weedy pastures seem to raise some good looking cows though. Today he sent a new tractor and a hired hand to unload hay for me...2 more loads tomorrow too.

I doubt I would say a thing, sounds like ya'll work together well and to keep the harmony up I'd pass on this issue. If anything, big if, I might ask if it was ok that I spray the pasture that borders mine to create a buffer if that is practical for your operation. He'll get the hint without feeling like your telling him how to run his operation. If he doesn't put importance on it and his current management style works who am I to tell him that he should change it for my benefit. Just my :2cents:

I also fight this same issue with dog fennel and neighbors but I don't say anything as we work well together and I want to keep it that way.

 

[boondocks]

I always figure in these neighbor situations (as in a marriage or any other relationship!) that I probably have things that drive them nuts too. So sometimes I elect to keep my trap shut.

I learned how NOT to do it from my mother. She babysat our son when he was little, while we went out of town for a couple days.The neighbors' house was very close--just feet separated them---and they had several small yappy dogs (always outside) that were driving us nuts and waking my son up every time we got him to sleep. We had not yet decided how to handle it, since we were renting at the time. I found out later that while we were gone, my mother had called the cops on the neighbors. Which did not endear us to the landlord (the neighbors I didn't care about so much, although it was embarrassing at the time).