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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

I've seen it close to my woodline, both in the yard and in the back
pasture, where animals have not grazed or browsed.  There is some in the
chicken run, so chickens don't eat it.  I don't seem to have any in the
front pasture-go figure that since that's where the goats and sheep and
horses have been.  Horses love the stuff, too.  It is interesting to me
that it is growing in somewhat shady areas, in my case, the north side
of a east west forested ridge.  My goats never had much of a worm
problem either, but then, I rotated pastures and browse areas, I did use
chemical wormers, and I used herbal wormers like artemesia/wormwood, and
of course, they had the lespedeza, too.

The ground here is still cracking.  We aren't in drought either, but it
hasn't rained significantly in a while.  We got like half an inch, and
it only filled my rainwater tank half full.  At least it is reasonably
cool.  I think the high today was like 88, odd that we are mid-late July
and still in the 80's for highs.   I love it.



Robert Walton wrote:
> Since I have a name, I've been doing some research on sericea
> lepedeza. My own research shows that goats like it and do well on it.
> They will eat it down enough that it will not come back well if they
> get the chance to. I the field that it was growing and I plowed it,
> it did not come back much. What I've read says it does not compete
> well with other plants, that may also be why it didn't come back in
> that field.
>
> It's been show to help control worms in goats as pasture or hay. I'm
> on a boer goat group and the people there (mostly midwest) say it is
> a noxious weed. They had a big hullabaloo over someone suggesting
> that it was good in goat pasture. Of course, they prefer chemical
> wormers.
>
> Here are some links if anyone is interested.
>
> This one is to a PDF: 
> http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1318/ANR-1318.pdf 
> <http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1318/ANR-1318.pdf> 
> http://www.extension.org/pages/Goat_Pastures_Sericea_lespedeza
>
> I think that the Korean lesdedeza is probably a better pasture
> addition, but I like the idea of my goats eating some sericea on a
> regular basis also. That may be why I've not had a big worm problem
> with my goats.
>
> Rob - Va
>
> On Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 5:15 PM, EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Sure looks like it.  As I was picking blueberries today, I noticed
> > it rubbing my legs...quite a stand of it near the blueberries, too.
> > It is everywhere.
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--
"Never expect magic from no where"  Baringo (Kenyan) working motto
http://erthnsky.blogspot.com/
EarthNSky Farm, NW Georgia, USA