Golden dodder (Cuscuta campestris) is a serious weed in crops, seed crops ans sown pastures. Australia has golden dodder-free status in the world seed export market and approximately 80 per cent of Australian lucerne seed production is exported to countries with a nil tolerance to golden dodder. A rising incidence of outbreaks of golden dodder in South Australia and Western Victoria is placing the country’s $30m per annum lucerne seed export industry at risk. An increase in golden dodder outbreaks in Victoria and South Australia over recent years, including a number of outbreaks in the mid South-East of SA, has caused alarm for lucerne seed exporters. Golden dodder plants parasitise their host and absorb all its nutrients and water while shading the crop with a dense mass of stems. Golden dodder emerges in early summer when soil temperatures are in the range of 15 to 38 degrees. Mark Kester used the 2011 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Hugh Roberts Pasture Seed Travel Award to travel to the United States to investigate control options for golden dodder. A range of options including grazing, burning, chemical control and on-farm biosecurity measures were observed.