Thank you for your contributions to CWMA and weed management across the state.

Ron Mabry has been an integral part of the Colorado Weed Management Association and a key player in weed control in the San Juan Mountains managing both Ouray and San Miguel Counties. He helped form the San Juan Mountain Cooperative Weed Management Area and served as CWMA President twice and is an active member of the Legislative Committee. Ron has a degree in Viticulture and Wine Technology from Napa Valley College.

Ron will be missed and we wish him a happy and relaxing retirement!

Introducing Rejuvra: Bayer's Newest Tool for Rangeland Weed Control

by Derek Sebastian, Bayer Vegetation Management Area Sales Manager

It is with great excitement that I’m able to introduce our newest rangeland herbicide tool, Rejuvra! Rejuvra recently received the full grazing tolerance approval from EPA and will carry a zero-day grazing restriction. The Colorado state registration was also recently approved, and the official label can be found here (http://www.cdms.net/ldat/ldGT2000.pdf). Starting in 2010 with a small-plot cheatgrass trial near Rifle, to now over 130 replicated field trials and operational treatments throughout the west, it’s amazing to see how far we have come. I would like to thank you personally for your support and collaboration the past nearly decade! We finally have another tool to fight back and gain ground on the invasive annual grasses and noxious broadleaf weeds that are devastating western rangeland and natural areas.

Additional information on Rejuvra is available at www.rejuvra.com. Here you will find a link to the recent webinar on Restoration of Annual Grass Invaded Landscapes. Additional information will be added over the coming weeks including technical and stewardship information. Here are a few video links with additional information from the CSU Virtual Field Day.

History of Rejuvra

Rejuvra Introduction

derek.sebastian@bayer.com, 970-646-2816

Anyone who receives an unsolicited package of seeds from China should immediately contact their State plant regulatory official or APHIS State plant health director. Please hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until someone from your State department of agriculture or APHIS contacts you with further instructions. Do not plant seeds from unknown origins.

by Kara Harders, Colorado State University Extension and NRCS Small Acreage Specialist

Weed control is a constant battle but some are easier (in theory) than others. Some of the more difficult weeds to control are those which have a taproot. These weeds readily come back after being mowed, pulled, or eaten because they have enough nutrients stored in their roots to regenerate! There are several tools to consider for controlling weeds organically. No matter what tools are used, it is important to recognize weeds as a symptom of land management. You may control the weeds one season, but if the ground is left uncovered, over grazed, or reintroduced to weeds your problems will likely return quickly.

Obviously, life would be much easier if the weeds weren’t there to start with. When it comes to organically controlling weeds, proactive strategies will save you far more time and labor than reacting to the weeds once they are present and established. Proactive approaches to weed management include mulching, crop rotations, or cover cropping. These methods all make it difficult for plants to get enough sunlight to grow or become comfortable in their surroundings. They also increase soil health, decrease erosion, and even help with pest problems. Consider adding these methods to your land to help prevent the problem!

If you only have a few of the pesky plants, using a spade to dig out the whole root can be a reasonable approach, especially if the ground is relatively soft. Getting the plants out before they go to seed helps prevent new ones from establishing too. Hand pulling is generally not effective on plants with taproots since they tend to break off leaving the roots safely underground ready to re-grow. This is why goats are less effective on taproot type weeds. If you want to use animals to control weeds, pigs are a more effective choice. Since they plow and root up the soil, they do a better job killing the root of these weeds.

Occultation is a less known method which helps germinate and kill weeds early in the season. By anchoring heavy tarps (UV-stabilized silage tarps work well) or dark landscape fabric over land you wish to farm, you can increase the temperature of the soil earlier in the spring and cause seeds to germinate earlier. When the plants under the tarp sprout, they have no sunlight and die off. After three to four weeks the weeds should have grown and died, leaving behind a bed of soil ready for planting. If well cared for, the tarps or fabric can be reused many times! A barrier to this method is the tarps can be too heavy, difficult to move, or hard to store depending on your situation.

Flame weeding is another method that can kill weeds from a seed bed after they have germinated. Flame weeding works by burning young plants when their root systems may not be established enough to allow them to recover. It also can knock back a weed population allowing desirable plants seeded shortly after to better compete for sunlight, moisture, and nutrients.

Herbicides can also be a choice in organic agriculture (although they are often less effective on established weeds with taproots). In order for an herbicide to be approved for organic use, the active ingredients need to be approved for use by the National Organic Program or NOP. The timing of the application is highly important and multiple applications are often required. One of the more frustrating aspects of organic herbicides is they have broad spectrum effects, essentially, they harm everything they touch. And remember, always read and follow directions on herbicide labels!

Here are some of the more common active ingredients in organic herbicides:

·        Herbicidal soaps – fast-acting, broad spectrum herbicides made from fatty acids. They are used as post-emergent and are most effective on annual broadleaf weeds and grasses.

·        Clove oil – an active ingredient in post-emergent, non-selective organic herbicides. Research has shown that is can be as effective as acetic acid in controlling broadleaf weeds but at a lower application rate.

·        Chelated Iron – These iron products are similar to the iron you would use to fertilize a lawn. However, the iron is bound to a chelating agent making it more available for plant uptake. Broadleaf plants absorb the iron more easily and when the high levels are oxidized it causes the broadleaf weeds to dry up and die quickly. Multiple applications are needed throughout the year and is most effective in lawns. See this document for more information. https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/ipmnet/Iron%20Herbicide%20Info-UMD-IPMnet.pdf

If you are looking for more weed management strategies, check out this page. It is a ATTRA publication about proactive and reactive methods which provide an alternative to conventional tillage systems. (https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub-summaries/?pub=479 ).

We're gathering online! Connect with weed managers from across the state – and beyond – to get the latest updates on effective tools, relevant research, and strategic management approaches. Earn CE credits to renew your license, network with professionals in our industry, and learn the latest trends and techniques.

We are working on the registration details now and will update with more information as soon as possible.  If you registered for the 2020 Spring Training we will work with you directly to transfer over your registration and handle all payments and refunds needed. We thank you for your patience!

Set a reminder to register here.

For more information about the videos and the two sites you can visit, please use the link address to the CSU Virtual Weed Science Tour 2020 (https://weedscience.agsci.colostate.edu/virtual-weedscience-tour/). A link to the playlists will be provided on the website and will direct you to the YouTube videos. 

How can we help?

Do you know someone that should be a member of CWMA? Learn all about CWMA benefits and membership types at www.cwma.org/membership. Use this information as talking points to encourage colleagues to join and get active with CWMA. 

Or, perhaps you are unsure whether someone you know is already a member? Search for them in our directory located in the members-only online portal. You can also use this site to renew your membership, register for CWMA events, and update your contact information.

This volunteer position entails contacting at-risk members monthly to help CWMA maintain members. Contact info@cwma.org if you are interesting in this position or know of someone who would be a good fit.

The initial tool we have available is a report for non-listed, non-native "Plants of Concern" species that are found to be acting invasively somewhere within the state, or plants that have the potential to do so. We request that reporters try to identify the plant to the species level first, make sure it is non-native (native species will never be listed as "noxious"), take photos of both the plant and infestation, and create a report in the EDDMapS West database.Once you have completed these steps, please fill out the Plant of Concern form in order to bring this plant to our attention. If the plant has not been found in Colorado yet, skip the EDDMapS West step and go directly to filling out the form.  

Once plants are elevated through the Plants of Concern lists (or other processes), they are placed on the Watch List . This is a non-regulated list of species that have been determined to pose a potential threat to the agricultural productivity and environmental values of the lands of the state and require careful observation. Many species included on this list are not yet known to occur in the state but have been recognized as noxious or problematic by another state or states in the region. For the included species that do occur in Colorado, more information is needed about the distribution and effect on agricultural and natural lands in the state. If you find a population of one of the Watch List species, please submit a report to the EDDMapS West database. 

These reports ultimately help our team determine which species will end up on one of our regulated state Noxious Weed Lists. You can find these links on our Early Detection and Rapid Response page, along with other resources. Please contact me, Patty York, if you have any specific questions or EDRR needs.

We have collaborated with the City of Grand Junction on their new bike path by spraying the Russian knapweed in their native plant revegetation site.

We did our first year or Russian knapweed gall wasp releases. Acting as a liaison to the Palisade Insectary and bringing this biocontrol to landowners. Year 2 will include monitoring these sites.

If you have a success story or event you'd love to share...we want to help!

Colorado Weed Management Association is always looking for new content, exciting stories in integrated management, and alerts on new weed species!

Send in an article, write up, or pictures and we can share them in our quarterly newsletter.

Email submissions to eproud@archuletacounty.org. Please limit pieces to 500 words.

All submissions are subject to review.

Newsletter contributors do not have to be CWMA members.

Do you want to make a difference with CWMA? Would you like to influence the direction that CWMA is leading? Join a committee!

Annual Winter Training - Kayla Malone

kmalone@chaffeeounty.org 

Communications - Ethan Proud

Education - Kayla Malone

Colorado 4 Healthy Landscapes (C4HL) - Ron Mabry

Legislative - Casey Cisneros

Membership - Drew Marino

Publications - Tina Travis

Annual Spring Training - Jonathan Rife (303) 660-7480

Looking to further your career in stewardship, conservation, and natural resources? CWMA shares job postings from natural resource employers!

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