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Minimising The Introduction And Establishment Of Noxious Weeds During Times Of Drought And Fire

Landholders need to be vigilant in their efforts to minimise the opportunity for the introduction and establishment of new noxious weed species both onto their own properties and into Gippsland generally.

By Department of Primary Industries - 16th October 2003 - Back to News

Due to fire and drought many thousands of tonnes of grain, stock cubes and hay have been brought into Gippsland over the past 12 months and, while the drought conditions continue, many more tonnes will be required to sustain livestock.

Given that fodder has come from many areas of Victoria and interstate, it is reasonable to expect that some will be contaminated with noxious weed seeds, or parts of noxious weeds capable of growing, that are not normally found in Gippsland.

Landholders in Gippsland have experienced conditions that necessitate the importation of fodder on numerous occasions and are generally well aware of the inherent risks associated with this practice and take appropriate action to minimise the risks of noxious weed establishment.

Noxious weeds may be spread in a number of ways other than through the purchase of contaminated fodder. Transports involved in the movement of fodder or stock to and from agistment may travel through weed infested paddocks and weed seeds that lodge on these transports may be spread over wide areas. Stock returning from agistment may have seeds attached or ingested. Seed used for crop or pasture estabishment, even if it is certified seed, may have weed seed present.

The effects of fire and the continuing drought conditions has significantly weakened pasture that normally competes with and limits the establishment of noxious weeds. While rainfall has been insufficient in many areas to sustain pasture growth it has been sufficient to germinate noxious weeds. Early detection, identification and treatment of noxious weeds is the best way to minimise the opportunity for them to become established on individual properties and throughout Gippsland.

The following recommendations will help prevent the introduction and establishment of noxious weeds:

• Make an effort to buy clean fodder.
• Inquire about the weeds that are present in the area you are buying fodder from and the possibility of contamination.
• Take samples of fodder and have weed seeds or parts of weeds identified.
• Where possible feed stock in the same areas at all times - sacrifice paddocks.
• Monitor areas where fodder has been fed and treat any weeds at an early stage.
• Keep new stock or stock returning from agistment in holding paddocks for 7-14 days then monitor holding paddocks for new weed species.
• Check for the presence of weed contamination on stock e.g. Bathurst Burr.
• Keep a close watch on areas around hay sheds, silos and stockyards for the germination of weeds from seed that may have fallen from transports.
• Clean down vehicles in a designated location after activities that may have resulted in weed seeds being lodged on the vehicle.
• Minimise the risk of introducing weeds by always using certified seed for crop or pasture establishment.
• Monitor paddocks sown for crop or pasture for a couple of years to ensure that any weeds introduced in the seed will be identified and treated before seed set.
• Have any weed that is unfamiliar to you identified and take the necessary steps to destroy them before they spread.

Staff from the Department of Primary Industries can assist landholders with appropriate treatment methods and weed identification.

For further information please contact your local Catchment Management Officer.

USING IRRIGATION WATER EFFECTIVELY

Gaining greater production from every drop of irrigation water used is a challenge for all dairy farms in the Macalister Irrigation District (MID).

A recently completed survey of district farms has established Production Water-use Effectiveness benchmarks for the first time. This indicator measures the kilograms of milk solids produced per megalitre of irrigation water and effective rainfall and takes into account imported feeds and dry stock grazed on the farm.

Farms in the MID had an almost three-fold variation in the amount of milk solids produced per megalitre of irrigation and rainfall water used, with the top twenty percent of farms producing almost twice as the milk solids as the lowest twenty percent of farms.

The study found that there were a number of factors that influence the amount of milk solids produced per megalitre. As could be expected, there was no one factor that ensured high production per megalitre of water used. Rather, high productivity depended on getting a number of factors "right", including irrigation, stocking rate, pasture and grazing management and supplementary feeding.

Irrigation water use varied considerably depending on soil type, with farms on higher permeability soils using approximately one-third more water than farms on the lower permeability soils. However, soil type was not found to be a major determinant of water-use effectiveness, presumably because farm irrigation systems and general management can be modified to suit soil permeability and the individual farm situation.

Surprisingly, the study found that the average farm in the MID produce approximately forty percent more milk solids per megalitre of rainfall and irrigation water than the average dairy farm in Northern Victoria and Southern New South Wales. This difference was attributed to the climate of the MID better suiting the growth of ryegrass and white clover pastures.

Brochures summarising the results of this survey can be obtained by contacting the Dairy or Irrigation staff of the Department of Primary Industries office at Maffra.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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