Good Management Practices Can Maximize Value of CRP Land

WILMINGTON, Del., Aug. 31, 2005 – Getting the best value from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acreage, both environmentally and financially, requires good management practices, including combating invasive and noxious weeds. According to range and pasture experts from DuPont Crop Protection, diligent land management strategies can improve native grass production. Some good practices include the following:

• Reduction of noxious weed spread to promote natural reseeding and bulk up decreaser grasses (grasses that decrease in population and vitality when overgrazed) needed for healthy CRP recovery from year to year.
• A simple rotational grazing system approved by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).
• Elimination of low lying increaser grasses (undesirable plants that take over in mismanaged grasslands) through good pasture management techniques.

Controlling Invasive and Noxious Weeds

FSA data lists a wide range of techniques for controlling noxious and invasive weed species on CRP acreage, including disking, plowing, controlled burn, hand pulling, biological control and chemical control.

A herbicide treatment can improve the quality and quantity of grass, promoting increased wildlife cover and more desirable land for nesting the following year. Treatment may also result in reduced land maintenance and healthier soil and vegetation cover from year to year.

According to Shawn “Tater” Erickson, a Wilbur Ellis range and pasture certified crop advisor, herbicides can be very useful in getting a handle on invasive and noxious weeds on CRP acreage. “CRP landowners can still take steps toward controlling tough weeds such as Canada thistle and whitetop,” he said. “A fall application of a herbicide can control cool season weeds, annual broadleaf and perennial weeds, and provide residual control the following spring.”

Erickson noted that many invasive and noxious weeds respond well to a DuPont™ Cimarron® herbicide program. “These ‘introduced grasses,’ (non-native) respond well to herbicides like that of the DuPont Cimarron® family of products for controlling Canada thistle and other broadleaves,” he said.

A Cimarron® family herbicide treatment makes good sense for landowners who want to maximize their CRP investment, according to Lisa Malabad, DuPont Crop Protection product manager. “Herbicide programs like our Cimarron® family of products help CRP landowners get the most from their acreage,” she said. “It is an environmentally and financially sound decision.”

Grazing and Pasture Management Techniques for CRP Land

For those who will be grazing or haying CRP acreage, herbicide treatments provide added benefits. According to Malabad, uncontrolled weeds aggressively compete with forage for moisture and nutrients. This can significantly reduce the amount and quality of grass produced. Herbicide treatments can reduce this competition and improve the quality and quantity of native grasses.

The DuPont™ Cimarron® family of herbicides offers landowners a wide application window, allowing treatment on CRP acreage throughout the grazing and haying season, with enough residual activity to carry control on throughout the year. In addition, there are no grazing restrictions for beef cattle, a big advantage for landowners participating in an FSA approved managed grazing program.

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8/31/05
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