By Becky Kington, Montana Weed Control Association Executive Director and Dr. Lisa Surber, Research Scientist, Montana Sheep Institute.
The following is an interview that was conducted on October 23, 2009, between Becky and Lisa regarding targeted grazing.
Sheep grazing dalmatian toadflax, photo credit: L. Surber
Lisa, the MSU Sheep Institute has been involved in numerous targeted grazing projects in Montana over the past few years, and I have to credit MSI with elevating targeted grazing as an integrated control method for noxious weeds. How many targeted grazing projects have you [MSI] been involved with over the years and what specific weeds have been chosen to experiment with?
The Montana Sheep Institute (MSI) oversees approximately 15 targeted grazing projects with monitoring sites utilizing sheep and goats from multiple sheep producers. Montana Sheep Institute weed projects directly involved over 50,000 acres of weed-infested Montana rangeland and about 500 landowners. Currently major weed projects are targeted at leafy spurge, spotted knapweed and Dalmatian toadflax.