According to the most recent USDA NASS Georgia Crop Progress and Conditions Report, cattle are mostly in good to fair condition, while pastures are in mostly fair to poor condition in Georgia. Fall armyworms continued to be a problem for many producers, although cooler weather brought some relief. There were also some reports of thin cattle and producers are worried about winter feeding due to prolonged drought conditions and reduced hay yields. Producers are also concerned about the prospects for fall grazing given the lack of soil moisture in different parts of the state. To sum up, Georgia is hurting with limited availability of quality forages. Producers should be mindful that this situation does not worsen by weeds competing with their forage crop and pastures. For this reason, now is a good time to scout fields to assess weed infestations.
Most weeds are not uniformly distributed across the entire field but grow in patches. By making a map of weed hot spots, you can deal with specific areas instead of the entire field, saving time and money in the process. Conducting a weed survey and making a map for each field will also provide a record you can use to help plan long term weed management strategies for each field and document whether your strategies have been successful, or if they need to be modified.
Weeds are opportunists. They like to get established in stressed areas of the pasture. Areas that have been overgrazed, flooded, have heavy traffic, or were drought stressed are good spots to look for weed infestations. The presence of weeds may also indicate improper soil pH or nutrient levels.
At this time of year, the landscape is mostly dominated by perennial and summer annual weeds. Fall is a good time to treat perennial weeds like horse nettle if the weeds are actively growing. In contrast, fall is not an ideal time to treat for summer annual weeds. The damage is already done, and the treatments will not be very successful. But knowing where the hot spots are helps you to plan ahead and be better prepared for next spring. Early and correct identification of pasture weeds is the first step in maintaining a healthy pasture. If you cannot identity a particular weed, bring a sample to your local University of Georgia Extension Office for identification. Producers are encouraged to consult their County ANR Extension Agent for more information and guidance for effective management of weeds in their forage crops and pastures.