Re: Noxious Weed Free Hay & Products

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

Thanskf for teh background, Bob, I did not know the history myself...But, it is
true as I have been told, that pelleted hay and feed is considered weed-free
and therefore acceptable?

Teddy


Robert Morris wrote:

> Usually I stay out of these discussions until I can stand the
> misinformation and inaccuracies no longer. So the time has come.
>
> First a bit of history!!! The legislative controls are not, initially, on
> hay. They are on the transportation of NOXIOUS WEED SEEDS! The laws
> concerning this were instituted by the grain growers through out the
> central and western states to prevent the spread of crop damaging weeds
> like bindweed, thistles of all varieties, skeleton weed Russian Thistle
> (TUMBLE WEED) and so on.
>
> The USFS picked up on this and used the laws as existing, for the
> transportation of the seeds, and included the hay as a carrier of weeds.
> What most people do not consider is the other ramifications of the existing
> laws. The main transportation vector, as agreed by USFS field personnel, is
> mechanical. The soles of shoes, vehicular tires, etc. Therefore there is a
> beginning trend that road construction and maintenance equipment used on
> USFS lands ( and BLM and State lands also) must be cleaned and inspected
> prior to use. This could be (and has been at Yellowstone Park) carry over
> to your horse trailer.
>
> Now some on this forum have discounted the effort of weed eradication.
> Picture a ride that goes along a very nice trail for a few years then that
> same ride route becomes infested with Bull Thistles!! The ride is no longer
> a viable entity as the thistles have rendered the trail unusable!!! It has
> happened in our area!!! Cleaning the vehicles that used this trail could
> have prevented the problem.  Early attention to the problem with a bit of
> control could have saved this trail.
>
> Consider your own pasture, it may be very good now but an invasion of Hoary
> Cress (white top) or Tansy Ragwort can render it completely unusable in a
> few seasons. Can you afford this??
>
> NOXIOUS WEEDS ARE A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM!!!  It is not just the hay
> transportation factor, it is also the hay purchase cost factor and very
> importantly the hay quality factor.
>
> Your County Agent or the State Department of Agriculture can and will refer
> you to producers of quality noxious weed free hay and hay products. Most
> western counties have weed commissions that also are knowledgeable of
> producers of such hay.
>
> When you ignore or flaunt the regulations, you are not only contributing to
> and worsening the problem, you are also setting your self up for increased
> restrictions and costs in the future.
>
> Remember, every pound of weed in the hay field is a pound of feed denied
> your horse and an increase in the cost of the hay he does get.
>
> Bob Morris
> Morris Endurance Enterprises
> Boise, ID


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