By Scout Nelson
South Dakota farmers who plan to mow or harvest hay from roadside ditches should watch for noxious weeds before beginning field work. While ditch hay provides an additional forage source, harvesting areas with weed infestations may spread unwanted plants and reduce hay quality.
Eric Jones, Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension Weed Management Specialist, together with Graig Reicks and Philip Rozeboom, encourages producers to inspect right-of-way ditches before mowing or baling.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation allows mowing and haying of right-of-way ditches after June 15 or July 10, depending on the location. Before entering these areas, producers should carefully scout the entire ditch for patches of noxious weeds.
Many noxious weeds produce seeds that spread easily during mowing and baling. Cutting plants after seeds have formed may shake loose thousands of seeds, allowing them to spread across roadsides, fields, and grazing areas.
Weed seeds can also become mixed with hay bales. During transportation, storage, or livestock feeding, these seeds may fall onto new land and create fresh weed infestations. This increases future weed control costs and affects pasture productivity.
Farmers should avoid mowing or baling any patches where noxious weeds have already produced seeds. Instead, these areas should be left untouched until proper weed management can be completed.
For smaller infestations, removing seed heads by hand is an effective option. Destroying the seed heads before they spread helps reduce future weed problems while protecting the surrounding landscape.
Regular scouting remains one of the best management practices. Walking through roadside ditches before mowing allows producers to identify problem areas, plan safe harvesting routes, and protect forage quality.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-gabrielabertolini
Categories: South Dakota, Crops, Hay & Forage, Harvesting