Although the recent winter rain has been welcome, it also comes with some very serious side effects for Queensland producers.
The green pick that has sprouted after winter rain can result in a plethora of new winter weeds, including some toxic weeds.
These weeds could have disastrous consequences for your business and already high stock losses have been reported this year due to Pimelea poisoning in south west Queensland and Pigweed in western Queensland stockyards.
Now is the time to revisit your regional list of toxic weeds and keep an eye out for these problem plants in stockyards and paddocks.
The first place to look out for emerging weeds is areas where drought fodder has been fed out as unfortunately this is a common cause of weeds spreading.
AgForce recommends that graziers quarantine any new livestock in a holding paddock for seven days. These animals will clean themselves out and any foreign weeds will be in a smaller area of their property and more easily controlled.
If you find something that you can’t identify, take a photograph, collect a weed sample and note the location, press between sheets of newspaper and seek identification from your regional weed networks or the Queensland Herbarium.
Common winter weeds associated with the movement of drought fodder across western Queensland include turnip weed (which taints meat and milk), wild mustard, Malva or marshmallow and Shepherd’s Purse.
Summer rain will also possibly give rise to problematic weedy grasses such as giant rats tail grass and African love grass spreading into new areas where contaminated drought fodder has been used.
Changes in biosecurity regulations in Queensland has placed the duty of care on land managers to manage their own biosecurity risks, including weeds.
This means knowing what weeds pose the greatest risk to your business and planning how to prevent or reduce weed spread.
The national Farm Biosecurity website http://www.farmbiosecurity.com.au/ has excellent farm biosecurity templates to kick start a Farm Biosecurity Plan.
