Searching for sage aka Artemisia ludoviciana & my rule of procreation

I was searching the roadside today for some sage I know lives on a roadside I sometimes travel. Today I went a few miles out of my way to look for it, and realized that the haying farmers are doing in the broader ditches probably took it already.

I saw some around a t-post in a tall beautiful cluster, but it's obviously needed out there for the next generation. Cutting sage down wholesale like that is not good for the following year. It needs to seed first. But of course, because of its status as a roadside weed, not too many people care about it.

If you are a forager or wildcrafter, get to know your weeds. Next time I'll try another location and see if there's enough left to harvest.

What is enough?

To me, "enough to harvest" means that after I leave with some herbs, that even I won't be able to tell I've been there, barring the tracks I make in the long grass. My harvest should not impact the colony of plants. They have a right to be in that ditch and to procreate successfully. My harvest should not mess with that.