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County Impact Statements - Columbia County
Weed Control and Fertility Management Important to Beef and Forage
Producers
Columbia County has 16,000 head of beef cattle according to Arkansas
Agricultural Statistics.
Forages are the backbone of the feed program for cattle producers. Two of the
more common forage problems cattle producers face are control of weeds and
fertility management.
Weeds not only cut into forage yields but some are also toxic to livestock A
pasture field day on the Roger Wilson farm allowed county farmers to see first
hand the effectiveness of various herbicides on common weeds found in the
county. The weed control demonstration plots contained some of the more common
weeds in the county. A few of the weeds seen in the demonstration were sweet
gum, blackberries, wild roses, bitter sneezeweed, wooly croton, Texas cedar,
buttercup, horsenettle, pigweed, and a number of other weeds.
During the field day information was also presented on the P-index. This is a
new criteria being used to determine when and how poultry litter can be used on
pastures. Litter applications to pastures are limited to prevent excess
phosphorus from entering surface and ground waters through runoff. The P-Index
is a more accurate way to estimate how much phosphorus from the litter will
actually wind up in surface runoff.
Youth beef project numbers have increased over the past few years as
evidenced by the rise in beef exhibits at the county fair. One of the driving
forces behind the increase is the county bred commercial heifer and steer
classes sponsored by the County Cattlemen’s Association.
Participants discuss results of the pasture field day over a
hamburger supper provided by the Cattlemen’s Association
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Impacts
- 40 producers attending the pasture field day learned how to effectively
control weeds
- 31 farmers received training necessary to obtain restricted use
pesticide license
- 38 youth exhibited 61 head of beef at the county fair and livestock show
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