Agronomists say the summer rain provided almost ideal conditions for the weeds to germinate. And it is not just a bane for those in rural areas.

Witch grass or (Panicum capillare capillare) has found its way into city regions as well and can be seen mounded up in backyards around Wagga and throughout the Riverina. 

NSW Department of Primary Industries research leader for pastures, Nigel Phillips is based in Wagga and said farmers were currently watching to see what the impact will be. “A lot of guys had rain last week and there might have been germination on the basis of that,” he said. 

There has also been plenty of activity in the paddocks with farmers taking the chance to use spray rigs and herbicides to control summer weeds. 

Mr Phillips urged landholders to control and monitor the summer weeds early. He said it was crucial that weeds were correctly identified and at the right growth stage before applying herbicide. 

Meanwhile, controlling the weeds can be even more difficult for those people in urban or city areas.

“For people in town it can be very difficult … and burning is not recommended,” Mr Phillips said. 

“It can lead to serious risk and should be avoided,” he said.

At the end of the day cleaning up the aftermath of hairy panic or witch grass resulted in a lot of hands on manual labor. 

Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) senior manager crop protection, Ken Young urged growers to take steps to reduce spray drift when controlling summer weeds. 

“Inputs like herbicides equate to around 30 per cent of growers’ input costs so they are very motivated when it comes to best practice chemical management,” Dr Young said. “Growers want applications to be on-target, applied safely and used in the most effective way on-farm.”

Spray application expert Bill Gordon, said there were several steps growers or operators could take to minimise off-target movement of spray and it was important to monitor weather conditions.