Rodger Benson? I know I have mentioned this before in other years...but once again, my friend...Id like to say, Thank you Rodger. You know that Missouri...at least parts of it...have been experiencing a lack of water situation for 3+ years. In 2011 (Feb. 1) we got the historical blizzard and the moisture it left and then the summer, fall, winter moisture was not so much. We got a splash of rain with Hurricane Isaac one late summer and that was a tremendous relief. In April 2013, we got a few timely inches of rain that helped to make some pasture and some hay. In April 2014, we got a little rain and then a few weeks ago we got 1.4 of rain in 3 separate showers. The stocking rate here has been trimmed to the bone. Hay has been purchased by the 1000s of bales. And, I mean some of that put up right hay was nothing but brush, weeds, thistles, oak leaves, and some CPR crap. Livestock numbers here are 3.5 times less than they were...simply due to the duration of no water, no pasture, no hay. I said back in 2011 that it would take a good 3 years for this place to recover and that some very hard decisions would have to be made. And here is where you come in my friend. I dont recall (I could look it up though...lol) when I 1st met you and you came and we drove around the pastures looking at thistles, bull nettle, iron weed, pigweed, western ragweed and a bunch of other invasive weeds. You gave me some tips and pointers. I got the 4-wheeler spray rig in August 2010 from your friends at Superior Power in Superior, Nebraska. I love that spray rig. Ive really had to learn how to drive right with that dude too! And it is the bomb for spraying cattle in the summer! Today, I replayed the importance of you in my life. A little over 360 acres of Grazon Next HL was put on my pastures a week or so ago. I hoped I could stop the fescue and other cool season grasses from further maturing and setting seed heads. I knew Id get weed control (which helps me sleep at night!). So...today, I was out brush-hogging/mowing pasture perimeters so that I could make way for my 4-wheeler spray rig. Where the commercial sprayer operator could not spray I could tell that the fescue and other cool season grasses are continuing to bloom and shoot up stems and seed heads. Where the commercial sprayer had great coverage? Well, the fescue and other cool season grasses had stopped in their maturation and had significantly more leaves/leaf mass than where Grazon was not applied. It is like night and day. I would have liked to have been able to spray a week before I did, but...the holiday and my cowdog sale kind of got in the way...lol. I seriously think that my dad would be amazed at the difference in his place. It looks so much different now than it did in 1996. For every weed taken out of production, I see at least 1-3 square feet of grass in its place. Once again, it is clearly obvious that if a rancher/farmer has to pick between commercial fertilizer or spraying a product such as Grazon, Remedy, PastureGard, Chaparral, etc...the biggest bang for the buck here has been the weed control products. Not only do they stop the weeds, but it seems there is a tendency to condition the soil and really give things a boost. And it could be the savings in moisture once the invasive species/weeds are stopped. The fall application experimentation last year was helpful too. Stewardship of the range, the water resources, and the livestock habitat are huge to me and it is because of you that I am a better steward to all of the aforementioned. And here is what was the most important factor...I knew when I met you that I could trust you. You werent selling chemicals for a commission. You didnt spew BS. And when Ive called you have been kind enough to refresh little weed spraying mind. I am a better cool season grass and weed manager because of you. ~High 5 My Friend!
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 01:10:22 +0000
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