Taking control of weeds after a disaster is crucial, with Redback’s Weedwiper an important tool in helping farmers get back on track
For Australian primary producers, the road to recovery after a catastrophic fire or flood is rarely a straight line.
While the focus initially falls on repairing fences and restocking, the true battle often begins weeks later.
As silt settles or ash cools, the ‘green flush’ that farmers desperately hope for frequently arrives with a sting in its tail: pest weeds.
Disaster-affected pastures are a blank canvas for invasive species.
In Victoria alone, the 2022 floods saw over 168,000 hectares of pasture lost, while the 2019-2020 bushfires decimated millions of hectares across the eastern states.
When the rain finally hits these scorched or waterlogged soils, weeds like Giant Rat’s Tail grass, African Lovegrass, and Fireweed often outpace native and improved grasses.
These weeds aren’t just faster but they are also opportunistic, thriving in the nutrient-rich, disturbed soil where competition has been temporarily erased.
Costly strategy
Historically, farmers faced a difficult choice between spending thousands on contractors for broadacre spraying or losing hours of profit-generating time to complete spot spraying.
With weeds growing at exponential rates, waiting weeks for a contractor’s availability can mean the difference between a manageable patch and a paddock-wide infestation.
Broadacre spraying, while fast, often kills the precious “good” growth of clover and young grasses which the farmer has spent months trying to re-establish.
Weeds cost the Australian agricultural industry nearly $5 billion annually.
For a farm in recovery, these costs are magnified by the loss of potential carrying capacity and the rising price of chemical inputs.
Shifting control
A shift is occurring across the regional landscape as today’s farmer is more informed than ever, transitioning from a passive consumer of services to a leader in DIY weed control.
This evolution is supported by an unprecedented level of resource sharing from local and national governments.
A prime example of this community-led empowerment was last year’s Giant Rat’s Tail grass (GRT) field day hosted by the Gympie Regional Council.
The event brought together leading agronomists and scientists to help landholders meet their biosecurity obligations through self-managed strategies.
“Managing GRT effectively requires the right knowledge, tools, and timing,” the Gympie Regional Council noted during the event.
“Integrated weed control processes are usually the most successful… promoting the health and vigour of competitive, beneficial pasture grasses.”
By attending these field days, farmers are learning to map their own weed threats and develop DIY precision-targeted plans.
Winning Weedwipers
The centrepiece of this movement is the weedwiper.
Rather than investing in a one-off contractor visit, farmers are choosing to invest a few thousand dollars into their own equipment, which a tool they can use year after year for a variety of species.
The Redback Weedwiper has emerged as a popular choice for those needing on-hand control.
Unlike boom sprays that mist everything in their path, a weedwiper uses a wick system to apply concentrated herbicide only to the taller weeds that rise above the pasture.
This means no waiting on contractors to fit them in, and no managing the repeat costs associated with multiple visits before seeing real results.
By doing it themselves, farmers can hit the weeds exactly when they are most vulnerable, not when the contractor has a gap in their schedule.
By targeting only the weeds, the underlying “precious growth” is left untouched, allowing the pasture to thicken and naturally outcompete future weed flushes.
Many farmers report that their weedwiper quickly becomes hot property as neighbours, seeing the results and the flourishing grass, often end up purchasing their own or hitting the owner up for a loan.
Ultimately, the shift towards DIY weed control is about more than just saving money, it is about reclaiming the timeline of recovery.
By putting the right machinery in the shed, Australian farmers are ensuring that when the next season hits, they are ready to protect their pastures on their own terms.
Visit www.redbackagri.com.au for more information about the Redback Weedwiper and DIY weed control videos and articles.