The Constant Battle Weed Blog Diaries: Written for Missoula County Department of Ecology and Extension (Montana)
- On Course Equine Nutrition
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
It's been a year since my last blog article, and I MISS IT TERRIBLY! Writing articles is how I stay sharp in my field, process new information, and [let's face it] stay on top of the Google algorithm. Since I properly suck at social media platforms and have no desire to improve my skills drastically beyond starting a Reddit account, I've relied on this platform to be my creative outlet. Thank you to those you read it.
So, my new plan is to share with you what I've been learning about pasture management at the Department of Ecology and Extension in Missoula, Montana. Don't worry...it will apply to you no matter where you live in the world. In the next few weeks and month, I'll be sharing what I've synthesized about managing equestrian properties big and small. Whether you have 3 acres or 300, these weed blog diaries are for you. Forage production and land management have been passions of mine for a long time- nearly a decade since I started by graduate degree in Crop and Soil Science to study how to grow low carb horse hay. When I purchased my first horse property on 20 acres of dryland in Central Washington, I learned the value of rotational grazing systems from my partner who repped for Gallagher electric fence systems. I was shocked how we did not need to feed hay for 6 months on seemingly so little scrubland grass. It changed my perspective forever, and I'd like to share some of that perspective with you!
Today, I practice what I preach, managing five horses on 5 acres of fertile river bottom property in Western Montana. In these blog articles, you'll see many pictures of my rotational grazing system and learn from my mistakes. So, please enjoy "The Constant Battle Weed Blog Diaries" article #1 by clicking the link below... Here's how it starts...
"It’s been a year for weeds. The dry spring and consistently hot summer were a bust for the natives and a boom, or should we say bloom, for the invasives. The flowering forbs basked in the 90-degree days while the grasses withered and wore out.
It was a year for me too! I started as the Missoula County Agriculture, Equine, and Livestock Extension agent in January 2025 and was given a proper office for the first time in my adult career having spent the entirety of it on the road or in a home office as an equine and livestock nutritionist. I personally identify as a black thumb, historically uninterested in the world of plants. I’ve been a long-time student of the fauna in favor of the flora, so taking this job and working amongst the “green thumbs” has been an education.
This is what this blog is about. It’s a collection of personal stories, not only my constant battle with weeds on my own five acres in Target Range, but the stories of other land stewards in Missoula County. It’s about what I’m learning from the local experts; the weed and conservation districts, the Rocky Mountain Garden, biocontrol and pollinator experts, and the plant clinic. I’m in an office building surrounded by plant people, and I’m taking advantage of it to photosynthesize as much as I can. All of this is to say, I’m NOT the expert, but I’ll bring you what I’m learning from the experts in this blog series.
For “The Constant Battle” weed blog installation #1, I’m going to share with you 3 perspective shifts that I’ve acquired over the last year when it comes Western Montana land management large and small."