Whitetop weed problem could lead to embargo on hay in county

At a recent weed board meeting, members discussed an issue threatening Lake County on both an agricultural and economic level.

According to Tom Benson, the Lake County Weed District director, a noxious weed called Whitetop is threatening to take over the range land in the area.

At the meeting, it was decided that the board would come up with a cost reduction program for trying to control the noxious weed, which will be called the Lake County Whitetop Relief Program. “The county is going to sell herbicide at a reduced cost to hopefully increase treated acres within the county,” he said.

The program will only cover Lake County residents and will run from May 2 through June 6. According to Benson, there is a process for the landowner to participate. First, they will need to fill out an application at the Lake County Weed office. Afterwards, Benson will do an inspection of the infested area to make sure the weed is in fact Whitetop. Benson said meeting with the landowners will also create an opportunity for education, along with creating GPS data points for a long-term map of the problem.

Whitetop is a noxious weed that primarily affects range pasture. One plant can produce 1,200 to 4,800 seeds, and it can lay dormant for up to three years.

According to Benson, the weed is incredibly hard to get rid of after it has moved in. “Once it takes hold, it renders the land useless from an agricultural stand point. Nothing grazes it. They become a mono-culture,” he said. “Eradication shouldn’t be in the vocabulary. I don’t think we will ever eradicate the weed, but we need to start controlling the weed.”

Typically, Whitetop has been a bigger issue in the southern part of the county, but in recent years, the weed has made its way north. The reason, Benson believes, is through the transfer of infested hay.

If Whitetop is baled up and sold off, those seeds go with it. Through that process, the problem is spread. Benson said the average person buying hay might not realize what is happening. Through the program, he hopes to increase awareness of this problem and prevent a possible disaster for people who sell their forage. “One of the biggest things we are hoping to accomplish with this is to increase education, increase awareness of the problem, and probably the number one goal is to mitigate against a possible forage embargo in the county,” he said.

While Benson said an embargo is a ways off, the problem needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. “I have a feeling that if we don’t get this problem under control, we run the potential that forage grown here will not be able to leave here unless it is certified noxious weed-free hay.”

An embargo on forage from Lake County would have huge implications for the agriculture here. Anyone trying to sell their bales would be unable to do so, possibly costing them huge amounts of money.

Such an embargo would come from the county level and the Montana Department of Agriculture. “It’s a long ways off, but it is a possibility,” Benson said.

Controlling Whitetop can be a tough job. After it has taken hold, the weed creates an underground root system, which means hand pulling, mowing, grazing, and biologicals have no affect on it. In severe cases, it can only be killed by herbicides. To make matters worse, the weed can be spread by forage, water, air and animals.

Benson said the Whitetop Relief Program is not perfect. There are many sensitive areas in Lake County that the program will not apply to, such as wetlands.

To learn more about Whitetop and to fill out an application, contact the Lake County Weed office at 883-7330.