How Do You Keep Weeds Out of the Pasture? - FHC Q & A

When developing a high-quality pasture out of previous forest land, if the proper management techniques are employed, a good stand of grass can soon become established. However, it doesn’t take long for previously dormant weed seeds to quickly take over after clearing land. These newly appearing broadleaf weeds then compete with native grasses by shading them out. If nature is allowed to take its course, broadleaf weeds—which are not typically palatable to most livestock—begin to be the dominant plant in a pasture, especially if allowed to go to seed and reproduce many more weeds the following year. Weeds must be eliminated BEFORE they go to seed, which provide native grasses an opportunity to get a foothold and grow. When developing good pasture, you want your grass crop growing—NOT weeds. And on many small farms these days, the desire is to do that WITHOUT the use of chemical herbicides. One of the best management practices to improve the quality of a developing pasture without the use of chemical herbicides is a frequent “pruning” of excess growth, either through a quick but thorough intensive grazing rotation or by frequent mowing. This frequent pruning causes a "pulsing". Each time the grass tops are clipped a burst of root growth is stimulated, which in turn produces more top growth. Mowing also sets broadleaf weed development behind grass growth, giving grasses the edge over time. If the light grazing of newly developing pasture is utilized, most livestock will tend to eat the grass forage and leave broadleaf weeds alone, giving the weeds the edge over time. If this is the situation, or if a frequent mowing is not practical, the largest and most vigorous broadleaf weeds may be eliminated with hand tools like a swingblade. On the other hand, there’s a great advantage to keeping certain livestock like goats or donkeys which eat broadleaf weeds that other animals leave alone. These animals are a perfect fit for eliminating weeds in pasture through browsing. Given patience, hard work, and the help of various livestock, newly cleared land progresses to a weedy explosion of growth, then to a limited start of native grasses, and finally, with modest management—a pasture yielding a high-quality grass crop.

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For more about related topics, give a watch to these FHC videos:
FHC Q & A - How Long Does it Take to Go from Forest to Pasture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71EoedR3sNg
Episode 2 – Clearing Land for Farming or Homesteading (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNkIN0RzL70)
Episode 22 – Making Pasture out of Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF5EtXnNuWk)
Bulletin #003 – Clearing Land for Pasture (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3PL_W3eRbs)
Bulletin #004 – Developing Cleared Land into Pasture (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aiMAMxy7AY)