Leafy spurge is a primary noxious weed.
That means you are legally required to control it in most areas!
This weed is toxic to grazing livestock and very competitive to most grasses, making this one of the worst pasture concerns, especially in the region of the country where we farm.
Leafy spurge only gets a few feet tall, but since it can reproduce by both rhizomes and seeds, it can spread quickly and devastate pastures. This plant has rather narrow leaves that run alternate up the plant. The green leaves often have a touch of blue. The flowers at the top of the plant are a greenish-yellow. Here’s what I find most interesting about leafy spurge – seeds can shoot out of the pods as far as 10 or even 20 feet away! Since each plant is capable of producing tens of thousands of seeds, you can see why between the rhizomes and seeds, it can dramatically reduce grass production in a hurry.