Managing weeds in grazing pastures

Managing weeds needs planning, integrated control approaches and follow-up.

Weeds can:

• be toxic to animals
• harbour feral animals
• host insects or diseases
• affect the operation of machinery.

Everyone has a general biosecurity obligation to take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise the risks associated with weeds (invasive plants) under their control.

Control methods

Use these options to help manage and prevent the spread of weeds on your property:

• physical, chemical and biological weed control
• prevent spread onto and around your property
• fire.

Weeds can be a major problem when establishing new pastures, as they compete for sunlight, moisture and nutrients. Weeds are often worse in old cultivation ground.

Planning for weed management

When managing weeds:

• be aware of existing and potential weed species on your land
• be alert for new weeds before they become a problem and act early
• use a variety of management methods such as burning, grazing management, herbicides and biological control
• have a weed action strategy or arrange a spraying program with neighbouring property owners
• prevent the introduction of new weeds and the spread of existing weeds by controlling the movement of stock and ensuring hay, feed, machinery and vehicles are not carrying seeds
• monitor the success of weed control strategies for future reference.