The Meadow Makers' Network Forum

I have a field full of ragwort and the next door farmer is complaining…I have read all sorts of conflicting advice …I am not sure what the right thing to do is ….I am letting my fields go wild for a few years to see what happens …at the moment it’s ragwort and thistles …can someone advise me on this please

Apparently Knepp control ragwort within 50m of their boundary, as per the law: https://knepp.co.uk/injurious-weeds-policy/

Hi Hilly
Do you know what your next door farmer’s real concern is? Is he trying to make hay for example? Has he said? What is the conflicting advice you’ve read?
Ragwort is poisinous to livestock, but also good for wildlife! However, we have take take a wide view of these things, in that theres no point us having a nature friendly field if we are obliging our neighbours to use more sprays and chemical controls than they would normally want to in order to control seeds which have blown over from our land. That doesn’t help anyone and not nature either.
It can be relatively effective to pull ragwort in my experience if the area you have to cover isn't too big.
Equally you could cut the heads off after they've flowered but before they've gone to seed ( and compost them somewhere where the wind won’t blow them around) for this year... this would show good grace and friendliness to your neighboring farmer and give you an extra year to think about what you may want to do about it in the long term.

Jane W wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2024 2:00 pm Hi Hilly
Do you know what your next door farmer’s real concern is? Is he trying to make hay for example? Has he said? What is the conflicting advice you’ve read?
Ragwort is poisinous to livestock, but also good for wildlife! However, we have take take a wide view of these things, in that theres no point us having a nature friendly field if we are obliging our neighbours to use more sprays and chemical controls than they would normally want to in order to control seeds which have blown over from our land. That doesn’t help anyone and not nature either.
It can be relatively effective to pull ragwort in my experience if the area you have to cover isn't too big.
Equally you could cut the heads off after they've flowered but before they've gone to seed ( and compost them somewhere where the wind won’t blow them around) for this year... this would show good grace and friendliness to your neighboring farmer and give you an extra year to think about what you may want to do about it in the long term.

Hi Jane …thank you …the farmers concern is that he thinks they are very poisonous and should be allowed!….he has sheep in his next door field …I have 2 acres full of these swaying beauties, they have only been here this year …so I am at a loss …he keeps telling me I will be fined severely!…I wondered about having pigs

Hi Hilly
I’m not sure pigs will help you much, ragwort is toxic to pigs too I think.
It sounds like maybe the main fear for your neighbouring farmer is that once the ragwort sets seed, it will travel (they are very light like dandelion seed and blown on the wind) to his land. This is a valid fear. Some factors may help you judge how likely this is... is his land very close to yours? ( anything under 100m would be considered quite close)...even though most ragwort seed will fall fairly close to the adult plant ...there is a real risk, especially in windy weather that it could be carried much further. Is there a high or heavy hedge between you? If so, this may provide a block to the seeds blowing onto his land.
What management were you planning for the 2 fields for this year? If you were intending to cut during the autumn...maybe you could move that forward a bit so that you cut before the ragwort sets seed? It sounds like you may have too much to cut or pull by hand?
Its sad for you to have to think about destroying what sounds like a beautiful swathe, but sadly this is a problem plant for farmers. Many animals will avoid the actual plant, but not always, (and sheep are somewhat less prone to ragwort poisoning than other livestock)... but, your neighbour may well call in the authorities and what would happen then I don't know... I’m not up on what the law is... (maybe it talks about that in the attachment in previous reply from Steve Pollard?). They may not fine you the first time, but could well ask you to cut it.