In 2000, farmers and ranchers in the U.S. alone were spending $5 billion on pasture weed control annually.
So how's that working for us? Resource managers tell us that weeds are still spreading at an average rate of 14% per year and that 9 out of 21 of the most endangered ecosystems and two thirds of endangered species in the United States are significantly impacted by weeds.
If we can't beat them using our old techniques, why not try something new, cheaper, and easier? We have Training Packages to help you get started.
In 2004, I developed a process for teaching cows to eat weeds as part of a cooperative pilot project between Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Montana and Utah State University. Cows learned to eat Canada thistle, leafy spurge and spotted knapweed, they ate all three weeds in pasture and they and their calves continued to eat them in 2005.
The steps I use are based on decades of research on how animals learn and choose what to eat. With these simple steps I can teach a cow to eat a new weed in as little as 5 days and to include it in her diet on a regular basis within ten days. It can cost as little as $3.40 per animal in materials and 8 hours labor and even that investment is reduced by 50% every time a cow has a calf.
