Due to several factors including calls to the office, questions on, and reasons for, farm visits and questions I received while taking hay samples, I felt a fall weed ID and control program was needed.

So I scheduled one in late September at our Education Center, where we could be totally outside and actually see the weeds we were discussing as opposed to pictures. Preceding the program I made laminated name cards and had them staked by the identified weed. I also had a packet of UK publications for each person attending. For the program, we transported the attendees around on a wagon, which was filled to capacity.

We proceeded to ID 18 or so weeds that are particularly problematic in our area. These were not just hayfield and pasture weeds, but also invasives in our woodlands, such as Tree of Heaven and bush honeysuckle.

As to the effectiveness of the program, I can say that I have never had an outside program where so many attendees brought notebooks and took notes on what I was teaching. Lots of questions were answered. And even weeds I had not planned on the ‘tour’ were asked about. Also, newer weeds to our area that they have not had to address before were a component of the program, such as hemp dogbane.

I think the thing that struck me the most during this program, and one reason I held it, was the number of weeds that the attendees did not know or had misidentified on their own, And how big of a problem they now realize they may have on their properties that they need to address. The program had been scheduled for about 1.5 hours, and wound up lasting about twice that, due to the interest from the audience and their questions, with none leaving early.

This program was such a success that, after discussing with the attendees, I will host another one in the spring to address weeds that were not visibly present during this program, such as buttercup and poison hemlock.