Preferred weed spray?

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A mixture of molasses and water sprayed on thistle when its young and tender. The cow will eat it and teach her calf to eat it also. Over time the molasses will not be needed.
I have seen some donkeys that eat them but I would as soon have the thistle as a donkey.
 
It is, I take a five hour course yearly to keep up my CEU's.
They actually discuss federal and state guidelines. You have now entered the darkness of state bureaucracy.
Oh I know all to well. You can't buy oil based barn paint in Illinois any more (it might hurt the fuzzy bunnies and birds), but I can have someone in Iowa but it for me at any farm or hardware store.
 
The real question is "Why spray weeds?"
1) Spraying weeds annually becomes a habit because the weeds keep coming back
2) Most weed can not only be grazed, they are often more nutritious than your grass
3) Herbicides also affect soil biology negatively, which sets the conditions for more weeds.
4) Many weeds are pollinators which bees, butterflies and other insects need for food...which affects the birds and reptiles which also feed on those insects.

I've never owned a cow that would eat a goat weed or a bull nettle, or a hundred other weeds that take over a pasture. If I negatively affect the soil biology I will gladly add lime or organic matter to feed the soil, but the weeds are sucking all the nutrients and moisture from my dirt that I need for my Bermuda grass. I also welcome rye grass, Bahiagrass, vetch, clover, crab grass, etc, etc….. as long as my cows will eat it.
As far as insects, I only use pesticides on them, namely sevin or Lambda. I did not take on the "pollinators" to raise, I took on cattle. I spray weeds and insects that impede my ability to feed my cattle as efficiently as possible.
I never claim to be organic, or herbicide free, or any of the other names that are flying around these days, but I do claim that I will do my best to squash anything that takes away from my bottom line, and weeds and insects and worms are high on that list.
 
Remedy and 2-4D mixture takes care of my issues. No license needed.
How are you buying 2,4-D in East Texas without a license? 2,4-D is a state limited herbicide in Texas.

Back to the original question, it would behoove you to learn what weeds you have and what controls them Then sit down and figure per acre cost and make your decision on what is going to give you the most bang for your bucks. Calibrate your sprayer. Use 18 to 20 gallons of water per acre to get good coverage. Use a good surfactant.
 
How are you buying 2,4-D in East Texas without a license? 2,4-D is a state limited herbicide in Texas.
Maybe by buying cases of 1 qt bottles at a local coop like I've seen done at Producers in Bryan.
100% legal to sell and to buy and use if sold & bought in 1 qts.
 
Because the primary invasive here is Triadica sebifera and no cow will eat Chinese Tallow or goatweed unless the cow is absolutely starving to death and there is nothing else for them and if they eat many tallow leaves, they won't have to worry about dying from starvation.
We don't all live out in West Texas.
Just because I live in west Texas doesn't mean that it is the only place I've lived, or that all of my work is here. I hold stockmanship and grazing schools from here to Mexico and Australia, and the Flying W ranch which was awarded the Kansas Leopold last year is one of my clients. Doesn't make any difference if it is desert, sub tropics, plains or mountain areas, cattle eat a wide range of things they supposedly don't eat if you change up your stockmanship and reboot their instinct to act as a herd.
 
Just because I live in west Texas doesn't mean that it is the only place I've lived, or that all of my work is here. I hold stockmanship and grazing schools from here to Mexico and Australia, and the Flying W ranch which was awarded the Kansas Leopold last year is one of my clients. Doesn't make any difference if it is desert, sub tropics, plains or mountain areas, cattle eat a wide range of things they supposedly don't eat if you change up your stockmanship and reboot their instinct to act as a herd.
Just because you've taught classes doesn't make you right. Especially when you give a recommendation to someone elses outfit. The statement that cows will eat weeds is certainly true. But that doesn't mean it's always the best option. I've seen many instances where getting rid of weeds improved a propertys grazing potential tenfold.

Your input is appreciated, please don't be a stranger.
 
Maybe by buying cases of 1 qt bottles at a local coop like I've seen done at Producers in Bryan.
100% legal to sell and to buy and use if sold & bought in 1 qts.
Exactly correct on buying in quarts. You can buy 2.5 gallons with a license cheaper than 4 quarts.
It would be interesting to follow that dollar.
 

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