Grazier Shane Watts at an MLA Producer Demonstration Field Day .
Sonoma grazier ,
SHANE WATTS :
Weed control is one
' of the most pressing management issues for landowners and public land managers .
Management requires integrated control approaches and everyone needs to be involved — government at all levels , NRM groups , and landholders across all agricultural industries .
'
THE PROJECT TRIALS
A number of techniques and pieces of equipment were trialed . These included :
• Mechanical removal of mimosa bush ( Vachellia farnesiana ) using the corner tip on the blade of a dozer across a 40ha trial area .
• Mechanical removal ( mulching ) using a 125EZ hydraulic drive Flail Mulcher head on an excavator to mulch dense chinee apple and rubbervine infestations across 5ha of riparian area .
• Splatter gun treatment of chinee apple , rubber vine and grewia across a 2ha trial area .
• Basal bark treatment of mimosa with Access and diesel across 20ha .
• Aerial application of Tebuthiron to treat mature and regrowth mimosa across 160ha with pellets applied at 0.9kg / ha .
CORNER TIP OF DOZER BLADE
The trial involved removing regrowth mimosa using a D6K 13 tonne dozer . The removal was successful , with works carried out with a good soil moisture profile in early autumn .