2021 Spring Farm

2021 Logan County Farm Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 18, 2021 Page 15 them.” The article also says you should “not plant or introduce invasive plants or pests; and eliminate high risk pathways by not moving firewood.” Some measures farmers might take to preventing spread from farm to field include keeping equipment clean and not moving contaminated gravel, hay or straw. Eradicate weeds along and between fields and along roadways. While not yet cost effective for most farming, an alternative weed suppression option includes using a cover crop during the off-season, between rows before a new crop achieves canopy and as hedge surrounding active fields. As seeds can remain viable in the soil for years, you need to find ways to control invasive plants when you first notice them. Bethe, Evans and Gage say to be ready to “invest multiple years; control is never a one- time effort.” While farming usually focuses on chemical controls for troublesome weeds, invasives have increasingly become resistant to numerous chemicals making a multi-layered approach necessary. Today’s approach calls for assertive combinations of mechanical, chemical, manual, and cultural means for controlling these plants. Mechanical control surrounding fields can accomplish some protection by mowing field edges and ditches a few times year, and by use of heavy machinery or chainsaws to pull or dig root spreading invasive plants. In the field during the growing season, row tillage before crops can provide canopy is utilized. The USDA remarks that invasive weeds may become such a nuisance that farmers may need to resort to manual means. Such manual intervention might include pulling invasive weeds, hoeing and chopping weeds using labor intensive methods. A University of Illinois Extension article says: “chainsaws, brush saws, hedge trimmers, and weed whips create less disturbance than heavy machinery.” However, equipment must be carefully cleaned afterwards to prevent spread. This is a case for following the old cliché, “Nip it in the bud.” Elimination before the weed sets seed or roots run wild is the best practice. If done manually, bag any plant with seed before walking away with it and destroy by fire. Continue 4