the exact right time when that plant will be taking its carbohydrates down to the root system, so we can get a good kill.” For huisache, the fall-applied
herbicide will be more effective when there’s good soil moisture. However, Clayton says, in general individual plant treatments will be effective, provided the applicator uses a mix with a non-ionic sur- factant and with a dye to ensure complete coverage of all the leaves. It’s also important to avoid drift
that could affect non-target plant spe- cies. The wind speed should be less than 10 mph, and the temperature should be less than 90 degrees. Clay- ton explains, “When we have higher wind we have an increased chance of drift, and when we have higher tem- peratures we have a higher chance of those chemicals being volatilized onto non-target plant species.”
Landowners may opt for me-
chanical brush removal if they’re only dealing with a few plants and have the means to grub them out. However, in many cases, Clayton says, mechanical removal is more expensive than using herbicides. It takes more time, possibly more than you have allocated for that particular task. Also, unless your tool digs down to the root, the brush may grow back. She says, “We’re trying to control the plant correctly the fi rst time, so we’re not dealing with it for years to come.”
Should the brush be left alone? Clayton says one factor that may
infl uence how much brush to leave on the property is how much prop- erty you have. If you have certain pastures that typically produce more forage, you may want to use
those more for the livestock opera- tion. Others in which you’re always fi ghting brush could be candidates for leaving more brush for the ben- efi t of wildlife. “A lot of times, if we take a step
back and we look at a map of our property, or sketch out what we have seen based on our experience, there’s quite a bit of art to manage- ment,” she says. “You can easily see areas where it would be better to put your resources toward improv- ing that for your livestock and keep other areas aside for your wildlife management.” The drought, of course, has been
a complicating phenomenon, but Clayton says in some ways it can help producers with brush manage- ment. Although the drought has reduced the overall amount of veg- etation and forced producers to get rid of a lot of their livestock, “Some
www.walterlasleyandsons.com
86 The Cattleman November 2013
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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