Help I am being beaten by Knapweed

Russian Knapweed that is. I have all through my pastures.  I have been mowing my fields for 8 diligently years now to try to eliminate it.  Hah! its has taken over an ever bigger area. It is allopathic and suppresses  grasses that I want.  My cows eat the tops but leave lots .  I mow behind them but I have to admit its not working.  Has anyone had success in eliminating Russian knapweed without chemicals?  How about following cattle with sheep?  They say neither cattle nor sheep eat it but my beef cattle do so maybe sheep do?  It is really lowering my pastures productivity.  If I cant get rid of it with mechanical and biological means  then I may have to spray and I really really dont want to.

Id love to hear any experience defeating RK.

Thanks

Have you tried making a "trample" lot?   The idea is to squeeze the livestock into a small space for most of the day so that they trample down all life in the area.   They get to go out to the grazing pasture only for short time to feed.    Then you can move the trample lot around  to where-ever your weeds are the worst.   Finally, sow seeds or sprig grasses that you do want in the old trample area.

interesting idea. I Strip graze so area is pretty well trampled before I move them off.  Maybe I could broadcast buckwheat to crowd out the Russian knapweed and bring cows back to eat that. I'm gonna try that. knapweed has tubers so it takes years to drain them if energy  

I think sheep will do this beautifully for you.  I use cattle panels to contain sheep on an area if there is a weed that I want to remove.  


I just treat that area as if it is their paddock.  I give them hay, supplements, water and shade while they live there.   They will destroy every piece of vegetation that is in that space.  When they are done, I move them to the next patch and use the droppings and leftover hay to cover my seeds.  If I can, I put a sprinkler on the area.  You will have new grass in no time.   I personally use wheatgrass as my recovery plant.  It will regrow throughout the season with rotational grazing and it will perennialize here in eastern Washington.    

I manage over 100 acres and I have no use for chemicals.  I would not even consider it.

Thank you Samantha.  I just placed an order for 10 Katahdin ewe lambs and 1 Katahdin ram for 2026 from a good breeder .  Good to hear that they will do the job.  Keeping them in one spot does nt increase parasite pressure for you?  Breeder had a good idea to get them to start eating the knapweed, spray it with a mix of water and molasses to overcome the plant's bitterness.

Even if sheep don't get rid of the knapweed they will at least turn it into lamb chops and I can live with that.