The battle begins

INDIANOLA, Neb. - OMG! The first round of spraying noxious weeds has started! Nebraska has a mandate that landowners/ renters are required to spray the musk thistle, among other nasty weeds, on pasture and non-fenced pockets. Apparently, cropland is just supposed to be taken care of with regular farming practices.

As much as I loved the drought (NOT) the rain brought up the obnoxious plants. Unfortunately, some neighbors don’t continue to keep the plants at bay, and I get it, as chemical is very expensive and the manpower to spray is time-consuming, but if we get a huge rain or the wind blows, the seed flies like the proverbial dandelions!

The county weed control person is supposed to keep track of who is controlling their weeds and I wouldn’t want that job as I imagine some folks can get quite rude.

We have been down to one Ranger temporarily, so the spraying has mostly come down to me so far this year. Since this girl has virtually no pigment, the UV rays are sure playing havoc on my skin. Depending on how the weather goes this summer will help us decide how many rounds will be required.

One advantage of spraying on a Ranger is that one continues to keep track of all the washouts and places safe to cross when rounding up cattle. Some of the pastures I’m familiar with can be dangerous if one doesn’t know where they are going. Also, I get to see birds, bugs, snakes, and turtles, among other wildlife, as well as checking on the cows and calves.

People may also have noticed that the Red Cedars are trying to take over a lot of our pasture lands. Ironic that when I plant trees, I have a hard time keeping them going, but these last few years the cedars have been pretty hard to control, so I also keep a saw and a large nipper for when I come across them. Easy to stay busy!

Have a good one!