Time to Tackle Tansy
You think it’s costly to control the weeds in your yard, imagine what the feds or even the State of Oregon pays each year to fight invasive plants. I’m Susan Allen when Open Range returns the battle to protect livestock against tansy ragwort. While eastern Oregon, Washington and much of Idaho are being invaded by knapweed, on the coast and cascades the bright yellow highly toxic tansy ragwort kills up to 100 animals a year in Oregon alone and the state dedicates a large portion of their 48 million dollar weed eradiation budget towards Tansy. We’ve all seen the pastures that are thick with yellow tansy, and that’s when the risk to livestock is greatest as the plants spread and choke out safe vegetation. Each animal,cows horses and goats are affected differently some dying immediately others succumbing after weeks or months of internal poisoning. Tansy is a relatively new weed with the first recorded sighting on Vancouver Island in 1913 and Oregon by 1922. In the 70’s the state began an awareness campaign after more than $4 million a year was lost due to livestock poisoning. For those of you in tansy prone areas, Fall is the perfect time to take stock of your pastures and get after this very deadly toxin by pulling or spraying with chemicals like 2,4-D that works when applied to rosettes in the spring, and new growth initiated after fall rains.
