Educated Cows Eat Weeds!

Harney County, Oregon

Whitetop, Russian knapweed, Canada thistle and Scotch thistle are all targeted in this 2010 project.

Lewistown, Montana

Heifers in a 600 acre pasture take well to Canada thistle.

Coaching
Program
Successes

Boulder County SARE

This is a 3-year demonstration project of managing trained cattle to meet weed management goals.

Coming in 2010 - A GLCI project in Vermont that will include cows and sheep.

Each year we select a few special projects to work on-site that help a whole group of producers or that help us learn more about cows eating weeds. If you have a project you'd like us to consider, contact Kathy (kvoth (at) livestockforlandscapes.com). She can also provide you with materials to write solid, successful grant proposals.

Grant-Kohrs Ranch NHS, MT

The training process begins its development. Cows learned to eat Canada thistle, leafy spurge and spotted knapweed.

Marin County, California

Cows learned to eat Distaff and Italian thistle, and expanded their diets to include bull thistle, coyote bush, poison oak and more.

Madison County, MT

This Madison Valley Ranchlands Group Weed Committee and NRCS project trained cows at 6 ranches and bison at another to eat Canada and musk thistle and spotted knapweed

Vandenburg Air Force Base, CA

Heifers learned to eat black mustard

Boulder County, Colorado

Cattle start with late-season diffuse knapweed, then Dalmatian toadflax, before deciding to eat every weed in their pastures.