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Ragwort

adne

I have some meadow fields that i sprayed but there is still some ragwort (Bohalawnns) in these fields.
Is it safe to cut this for silage or is the ragwort posionous in the silage?

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Ragwort can still cause liver failure in cattle and horses that eat silage with ragwort in it.
http://www.thecattlesite.com/diseaseinfo/229/ragwort-poisoning

F.D

What is the best way to control it and when from anyones own experience i have seen different write ups on it but not a lot of detail,
i see some of it starting to come up in our field, we have started to hand pull some of it, Can you spray it this time of year? with what? and whats the withdrawl perid before you can start grazing again?

pakalasa

The best way is to pull it by hand. If it has flowered, ie. gone yellow on top, it will still spread seed if left lying on the ground in the field. Better to take it out of the field altogether.
Seems like a lot of work, but worth it in the long run.
To be honest, I've never heard of cattle being poisoned by them, different maybe when it comes to silage. Down my way, they will clear a silage field of them by hand before cutting.

doctor evil

Ragwort is a noxious that slowly poisons the liver, by law it is meant to be cleared and disposed. Of course, our stupid goverment and builders seem to forget this.

As far as I know sheep can eat the ragwort rossettes, babby ragwort.

Casinoking

Any amount of ragwort is lethal in silage to both cattle and horses, but as far as I know sheep are immune to it. The best way to get rid of it is to pull it, but this isn't always practical if there's a bad infestation. You can spray with 2,4-D (different brand names like Dioweed, D50 etc) and the most effective time to treat is March-May when the plants are small. Once they get to flowering stage you're wasting your time. After you've sprayed you should leave at least 4 weeks before grazing or mowing to allow the weeds die off. They're at their most dangerous in the 2 weeks after spraying because they only become palatable to stock when they're dying, hence the problem in silage or hay.

alphamale 1

Ragwort is a poisonous and noxious weed. It would be a problem if it was ensile as it becomes sweet to animals. The best way to control is to spray it (March-May) and again in September. it is a noxious weed and falls in under the 1946 Noxious weed act. I would also recommend that they are pulled at te root by hand and if they are topped it is important not to let animals eat them. I also recommend all farmers who have a problem to get about 10-15 sheep as they keep them away.

For more info check [url]www.teagasc.ie:cool:[/url]

whelan1

a neighbour of mine lost 5 cows with ragworth posioning in the silage , we spray around april when it is just starting to grow you have to be very careful that it is not frosty as it wont kill properly - past experience had to re do it - i would pull them if i was you before you cut

squarebale

sheep are not immune to it as it is a poison and provokes no immune response. However, they are less susceptible to its poisonous effects and therefore can help to clear land of it. Grazing in March on tight pasture by sheep will help to rid land of it. They will eat the young plants. Horses are the most susceptible to it. It will kill. I've seen it. And it ain't nice. Wear gloves when pullingit especially if your liver dos'nt have much spare capacity - the demon drink:):)

pakalasa

squarebale wrote: »

.... Wear gloves when pullingi t especially if your liver dos'nt have much spare capacity ......:):)

sh**, didn't realise it was that poisonous:eek:

You should see the roads down our way, covered in the stuff......suprising the IFA or someone doesn't take a test case against the local authorities...

whelan1

it is illegal you are supposed to control it under the noxious weeds act ...... never heard of a prosecution we'd all be in jail at that rate:D

roosterman71

When I was young, my father used to send me out pulling Ragwort the whole time. Its the only way to get rid of them though. But they ain't easy to get out of the ground alot of the time

whelan1

ye hurty hands

:D hateful job a bit like pulling wild oats but they are a bit easier to get out

pd101

whelan1 wrote: »

ye hurty hands :D hateful job a bit like pulling wild oats but they are a bit easier to get out

Yeah I'd rather pull wild oats anyday. Spent days pulling ragwort last summer but looks like theres more coming back this year.

alphamale 1

The thing that is important is to not to leave the plant behind in the field or infected area after you as it is poisonous

k mac

Does there have to be a large amount in silage for it to be poisonous. Have silage ready for mowing tomorrow and just noticed today a small amount of ragwort in one corner of the field. Pulled alot of them but wont have time to pull them all. Will it be safe to cut is my question i suppose?

I said

k mac wrote: »

Does there have to be a large amount in silage for it to be poisonous. Have silage ready for mowing tomorrow and just noticed today a small amount of ragwort in one corner of the field. Pulled alot of them but wont have time to pull them all. Will it be safe to cut is my question i suppose?

Get as much as ya can preferably all of it

td5man

k mac wrote: »

Does there have to be a large amount in silage for it to be poisonous. Have silage ready for mowing tomorrow and just noticed today a small amount of ragwort in one corner of the field. Pulled alot of them but wont have time to pull them all. Will it be safe to cut is my question i suppose?

Get as much as you can pulled, it's surprising how much you don't see until you're mowing.

Kovu

Yep, +1 to the two replies above k mac, Even a short wander through the swarths after they're down should reveal a lot of it.

whelan2

k mac wrote: »

Does there have to be a large amount in silage for it to be poisonous. Have silage ready for mowing tomorrow and just noticed today a small amount of ragwort in one corner of the field. Pulled alot of them but wont have time to pull them all. Will it be safe to cut is my question i suppose?

1% of the animals body weight of ragworth is enough to do damage. Symptoms occurs from 6weeks to 18 months after ingestion

onyerbikepat

The last week or so, I have been strip grazing a field that got too strong. There were a few ragwort plants in it, that I was pulling bit by bit every night as I was herding. I was surprised to see that some of the plnats were eaten at the top. I pulled them all fairly quick after seeing that.

rushvalley

onyerbikepat wrote: »

The last week or so, I have been strip grazing a field that got too strong. There were a few ragwort plants in it, that I was pulling bit by bit every night as I was herding. I was surprised to see that some of the plnats were eaten at the top. I pulled them all fairly quick after seeing that.

I've also noticed the cows doing that too even though there is plenty of grass there. Nothing bad has happened yet thank God.

nhg

Absolutely disgusted that a bypass of our local town (has a walking path along it) has a large quantity of ragworth growing on it grass margin - the council should be out pulling it & showing good example not allowing it to seed & spread

roosterman71

nhg wrote: »

Absolutely disgusted that a bypass of our local town (has a walking path along it) has a large quantity of ragworth growing on it grass margin - the council should be out pulling it & showing good example not allowing it to seed & spread

Is it not covered by some piece of legislation related to "Noxious Weeds"? If so, get onto the council to have it cleared. If you owned land beside that road you would be infested by it soon

Oldtree

roosterman71 wrote: »

Is it not covered by some piece of legislation related to "Noxious Weeds"? If so, get onto the council to have it cleared. If you owned land beside that road you would be infested by it soon

yes:

http://www.teagasc.ie/horticulture/advisory/vegetable/noxious-weeds.asp

"Any person responsible for land on which these weeks are growing is liable, upon conviction, to be fined. A person responsible for land may be either the owner, occupier, user or manager of the land. In the case of public roads, parks etc. local authorities have similar obligations."

frazzledhome

whelan2 wrote: »

1% of the animals body weight of ragworth is enough to do damage. Symptoms occurs from 6weeks to 18 months after ingestion

A few no harm, @1% a 500kg animal would need to injest 5kg. Seems like a lot

whelan2

frazzledhome wrote: »

A few no harm, @1% a 500kg animal would need to injest 5kg. Seems like a lot

200kg animal, 2kg , could be over a while

micraX

nhg wrote: »

Absolutely disgusted that a bypass of our local town (has a walking path along it) has a large quantity of ragworth growing on it grass margin - the council should be out pulling it & showing good example not allowing it to seed & spread

If your council has a fb page take a picture and post it on there wall, I done tgat to fingal co co last year and they pulled it quickly after that

ganmo

nhg wrote: »

Absolutely disgusted that a bypass of our local town (has a walking path along it) has a large quantity of ragworth growing on it grass margin - the council should be out pulling it & showing good example not allowing it to seed & spread

Take a picture of it and send it in an email to the county managers quoting the act. If nothin happens ring the dept of Ag

Wheelinone

micraX wrote: »

If your council has a fb page take a picture and post it on there wall, I done tgat to fingal co co last year and they pulled it quickly after that

The page or the ragwort ?

micraX

Wheelinone wrote: »

The page or the ragwort ?

Yes they pulled the page.