[waterbuffalofarmer]

Ok so I have a few fields that I am renting, they have some ragwort in them which I have been dealing with for a few years now. This year I have been way too busy with stuff, so I have decided to pull what I can and cut the rest, there being about 1/3 field full in total of it, most of it came from a certain neighbour who I won't mention (horrible lady) who keeps her horses on the same fields all the time. Anyway today I got a call from the enviromental agency, remember how I said someone reported my worker digging out a track on a slope to remove gorse? Well I have a feeling they really have it in for me now, I never knew about the track until they rang me up and told me, anyway apparently someone living nr those fields with the rag in have reported it to the enviromental agency. I can only think of 2 people which would do that, the said lady above and another guy who just hates everyone. I have been told that I need to deal with it asap or I will be in trouble, I explained that I am waiting for a window to cut that field, as its been nothing but rain, rain and more rain here, plus my usual contractor is so busy when it stops raining. So here is my pradicament, nosy interfering neighbours who have nothing better to do, and strange how they reported me and not the other guy who owns fields with ragwort in, plus she has them in her fields too,  and this year of all years when the rag is very low in numbers in my fields. I was fuming when i was told that someone around there had reported me, why couldn't they have spoken to me first instead of involving authorities? Just wanted to rant, I feel so angry at this point! Post below if you have had similar experiences

[doganjo]

Yup, had the same with selling my house and some land, putting up a dividing fence, building my new house next door,  then the new owner regularly making a racket near the fence, starting my dogs off, then phoning dog warden that my dogs were barking.  Luckily she was a friend of mine but it made me extra wary until I finally sold up and moved away.
You could retaliate - report her for allowing her horses to graze in a field full of ragwort 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I could but I don't like doing a tit for tat, been there before. Besides the environment agency guy is coming to have a look at the fields in question......

[pharnorth]

Agree it's upsetting when people won't just talk to you. And then the three big fields of ragwort near me are all owned by an ex farmer who now buys in 'clean' hay from 200 miles away because then he can get the best and doesn't have to risk losing a harvest. In the meantime I am watching the thistles blow their worst across my paddocks with the ragwort soon to follow. So while I appreciate the weather window may be a problem where you are, but topping isn't the same as hay making so am I wrong to assume he shouldn't need me to prompt this?

[Penninehillbilly]

I could but I don't like doing a tit for tat, been there before. Besides the environment agency guy is coming to have a look at the fields in question......

If someone from is coming out that's good, easy to point out you are doing your best against the odds, hopefully they will act on what they see.don't suppose you have photos of previous years that show an improvement?

[waterbuffalofarmer]

sadly not, but other neighbours will vouch for it, plus hes quite a reasonable guy. I will explain to him how terrible it used to be and say how much it has improved. Plus I have contractors which will be able yo tell him if necessary. Now I just have to wait till he wants to come snf have a look

[pharnorth]

Hope it goes ok Wbf sounds like you have it covered. Hopefully my neighbour will get his cutter out next week as it is as dry as a bone here. 

[Hellybee]

I've just beheaded all the rag at my mothers, the caterpillars are in full force and it seemed a real good compromise to leave them eat and take away the flower, over nine acres it's not much anyway, the caterpillars have decimated some so make good work of eating all foliage, I will soon go in and remove the remains.  Bearing in mind this only runs three ponies that have so much grass I feel comfortable letting nature taking course for a little while, as does my Mum, n fact her idea, it made it a much more enjoyable thing to do, and I also found some lovely oak saplings, tht I will liberate lol, I know the back breaking bit is left to do but at least this years seeds won't have a chance.  However it lives for years in the soil, so theres always another season, one way or another.


Back in south Wales it was a very different story, our six acres was by the side of an old railway track, when in was developed into a bypass the soil they brought in it contained it.  when it reared it's head early nineties, i think we were a bit ignorant to it, we hadn't seen it before so firstly let it grow then hells teeth we pulled it, no gloves initially. Second year onwards  We would work in gangs to clear it, had a picnic. Got the ponies put next door.  Dealing with it and then having people around you leave it is just gutting, can you  not drum up a little group and you all have a good clearing sash, that s what happens with the balsam group round here?

[YorkshireLass]

sadly not, but other neighbours will vouch for it, plus hes quite a reasonable guy. I will explain to him how terrible it used to be and say how much it has improved. Plus I have contractors which will be able yo tell him if necessary. Now I just have to wait till he wants to come snf have a look

Crossing my fingers you get a decent person. My (possibly naive?) approach is to be open and friendly to The Authorities. If they see a problem, tell them how you are dealing with it ("last year I hand-pulled ragwort, rhis year I arranged a contractor but due to the weather it's later than anticipated") BUT don't go pointing out other problems they haven't seen. Or, ask their advice on a specific matter (e.g. other control mehods if contractor is struggling) - I'd hope they'd be glad to help someone who is trying to do ther ight thing.

(I struggle to keep a balance between my inner Pollyanna and my inner Jack Dee)

[Carse Goodlifers]

During the visit it may be worth pointing out any close by local authority land that is polluted in ragwort and ask what are you to do when the council don't deal with it?
It surely can't be one set of rules for some and different rules for others.

[SallyintNorth]

It's only an offence to not clear it where there are equines nearby.  So that'll be the council's argument for not clearing verges, roundabouts and so on

[sabrina]

20 years we have sprayed, pulled and dug up the stuff. My neighbour has it so we get new seeds every year. She has 2 horses plus one sheep but does not give a hoot. its all over the place and little is done.

[landroverroy]

 As Sally says, it is not an offence to have ragwort growing in your fields, although a lot of people think it is.
 You'll notice that many people on  here (including you!) have said that they have been trying to deal with the problem of ragwort for years, but still have the problem. So what does that tell you? Simply that you're all going about it wrong!

Ragwort will always grow on bare horse pasture because  there is plenty of bare earth about for the seeds to germinate in . But you're a farmer and don't have graze your grass down to the soil so the problem is more easily solved. In your case, I would cut your field where the ragwort is, as you would  for hay, but at a high setting, then bale the ragwort stems + flowers and remove them.
 Next spring, graze the pasture with sheep who will eat the young ragwort crowns as they emerge. That kills the new plants, and problem solved. Then graze with sheep every spring to kill the odd young plants that will keep germinating for the next few years. This does not kill your sheep or cause them to  slowly fade away, as popularly believed. Possibly because they are only eating a small amount of ragwort, which their livers can cope with. My breeding ewes live to a good old age so it's done them no harm.
A further demonstration of this is that you very rarely see sheep grazing in ragwort infested fields, not only because they kill the plants in spring before they get established, but also because sheep cause the grasses to grow much more closely together, so there is no bare ground for the ragwort seeds to germinate on.

Incidently, by pulling the ragwort plant up, you are actually helping the plant propagate as the bits of root you  unavoidedly leave in the soil will each turn into a new plant. 
 

[landroverroy]

20 years we have sprayed, pulled and dug up the stuff. My neighbour has it so we get new seeds every year. She has 2 horses plus one sheep but does not give a hoot. its all over the place and little is done.

Sabrina - I reckon your neighbour may believe that she's doing her bit in the ragwort war by grazing her one sheep! But presuming she's got at least 2 acres for 2 horses, she needs more than 1 sheep to keep the ragwort in check.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

strangely enough that is exactly what we did last year. This year we put the sheep on the fields at home and no ragwort this year. Problem is though I have loads of horsey people around where I live and they have there equines in with the rag in their fields. I have a feeling it may be starting to spread to my pasture again Ok will keep you updated on how it goes and thanks for all the advice guys, as always I really appreciate your input!