Weed and Pest reflects on special management projects

The special management program for leafy spurge was carried out somewhat as normal this year, though it was moderately impacted by the drought. This extreme weather resulted with treatments that were very slow to kill all weeds this year, including leafy spurge.

However, the biggest change coming in the program is how the district will be handling hiring contractors for leafy spurge treatments. In the past, landowners could choose to hire a contract weed sprayer to treat their leafy spurge – after completion of work and payment to applicator, the district would reimburse 80% of the labor cost.

Going forward, the district will pay contractors directly, and will in turn bill the landowner their 20% portion of the treatment cost. Doing this will allow the district to keep a better record and inventory and monitor treatments and populations.

The district felt this approach would encourage and support local commercial applicators, as well as help landowners who maybe are hesitant because of the large cost up front. However, although the district will be paying the contractors, we will not be hiring them; landowners will still be seeking treatment on their own. For more information on this program, please call or visit the office.

The leafy spurge grazing program is also showing great signs of success. The structure of this was also recently changed to the district paying a flat price per acre for grazing leafy spurge.

The district has worked with Devils Tower Goats (Carolina Noya) for the last several years, and has seen very impressive results. We are hopeful of this program expanding going forward. Again, please contact the office for more information.

Weed bounties

The district is in the process of implementing a weed bounty program, offering $.50 cents per pound of certain weeds pulled in the county. The main weed species this program is after include: Spotted Knapweed, Common Mullein and Houndstongue.

These are all biennial weeds, which means they can be successfully controlled through pulling, digging or chopping below the growing point. All people are eligible to participate in this program.

These weeds are in abundance in many areas around the county, both on public and private lands. The best place to find all three in very high numbers is on the Forest Service.

However, if you plan on pulling on USFS lands, there are a few extra stipulations – visit our office or the USFS office first for more information. This program is in its early stages, so stay tuned for extra details.

Prairie Dogs

Another ongoing program is assisting landowners with poisoning prairie dogs on their lands. These treatments, done through the fall, are limited both by calendar (labeled start dates for most poisons), and by land use (grazing restrictions).

An additional caveat is that poisoning prairie dogs on BLM lands is highly restricted or off limits altogether in some cases. Regardless, prairie dogs can be treated on private or state leases by permission of the landowner.

There may also be commercial contractors in the area providing prairie dog poisoning services, so check around. Again, if you have interest in this program, please call or stop in the office.

Chemical availability

As with many industries, many products have become hard to find. The chemical industry has continued to be impacted.

There have been production losses overseas, packaging issues of all sorts and most recently the hurricane destroyed production facilities for certain products in the US. All of these and more have made the availability and price of all pesticides extremely volatile.

Prices of some products have already more than doubled, with more expected to follow. The district will do its best to keep products available to landowners and residents of the county and provide them at a reasonable price.

However, we are not able to make promises to anyone, and will continue to operate on a “first come, first served” basis. Please be patient with us as we navigate through these times.

Other Services

Crook County Weed & Pest is committed to providing leadership and education for the long-term management of noxious weeds and pests through prevention, biological, cultural, mechanical and chemical controls. We are dedicated to decreasing the impacts of invasive species on native plant and animal communities, private and public lands and local economies.

The Crook County Weed & Pest strives to have effective programs for the management of noxious weeds and pests by promoting and coordinating management and control through integrated pest management techniques, cooperation with landowners, agencies, organizations and by providing technical expertise and educational opportunities to all within the county.

However, we do not wish to be an enforcement agency that demands people control weeds or pests on their own private lands. We will not treat weeds on any private lands without permission of the landowner.

We also do not want to be mediators between neighborly disputes. What we do want to hear about are new insipient weed populations, and/or new weed or pest species that may be unknown to the district.

If and when problems occur, the district will be there to provide education and technical expertise to all parties involved, but will not be forcing people to treat weeds or pests.

There are other states with stricter noxious weed enforcement laws, but our Wyoming law is set up more to educate and encourage people to be proactive controlling weeds or pests. The law encourages cooperation between landowners and the district to set up management programs and remedial requirements that both parties agree upon.

Only after a landowner fails to cooperate with the district in any way can fines be inflicted after a lengthy legal process and court involvement. The district feels that our county’s tax money would be better spent educating individuals and providing on-the-ground help and expertise rather than paying court costs.

The district wants to encourage and promote weed and pest control on all levels of scale, whether you live and manage residential lawns, ranchettes or small acre farms or if you operate and manage on large acre range and pasture lands. We trust the landowners in our amazing county will make the right choices when it comes to managing weeds and pests.

Weed seeds in hay

This season’s drought made growing hay very difficult throughout the county, even for those fortunate enough to have crops under irrigation. With the drought, hay availability was extremely limited – especially locally – and weed-free hay was likely even more rare.

IF there was weed free hay, it was certainly at an unreasonable premium to go along with the inflated market. It is reasonable to assume a fair number of people outsourced hay/feed for livestock to other counties than Crook, and likely more states than just the neighboring ones.

With all of this hay import, the likelihood of weed seeds being present is astronomical. Don’t panic. We are here to help.

If you believe you may have bought hay/feed from questionable sources, or maybe you’re certain there are weeds, keep your eye out this spring. If you find any suspicious plants, feel free to send us photos, bring in a specimen or have us look in person to help identify them.

If you know you have weedy hay, even if you didn’t import it, try to feed it in places where weed management will be easier if/when it is needed. For example, don’t feed weedy hay on your alfalfa field because if weeds come, there are limited products that kill weeds and not the alfalfa. You could feed infested hay in grass hay fields, pastures, corrals or areas where weeds are already present.

Coming up

The Weed and Pest has been getting inquiries about applicator license classes. As of now, there are no set dates, but UW Extension is planning to hold private applicator classes in the county.

Stay tuned for more information on these – they are generally held in the February to March timeframe.

If you are unfamiliar with private applicator licenses, they are required to purchase restricted use products. The classes are free and informative, and there are no tests required to get the license if you attend the class.

If you are or wish to become a commercially licensed applicator, the recertification and new applicator training will be held in Casper in January. Please visit https://www.wyoweedmgmt.org/ for more information and registration for this event.

Lastly, we want to thank our customers and great landowners of the county. The district notices and appreciates all of your hard work managing weeds and pests on your farms, ranches and homes.

Keep up the good fight. While we are here to help in any way we are able, the weeds and pests are yours as landowners to manage and prevent.

Managing your land is much like taking care of a vehicle. It requires maintenance and upkeep to keep things running well, and some of these are necessary more frequent than others.

Managing weeds and pests is similar to changing the oil or washing the rust off: if left unmanaged, much bigger problems can begin to happen. Weeds invading rangeland can drastically reduce valuable forage content, and some weeds can even be toxic to livestock and other animals.

In crops, and even gardens, weeds and pests greatly reduce yields and therefore any profits associated. The presence of these weeds can even reduce the value of your land because they have so much effect on grazing and crops.

Sometimes, these weeds or pests can grow and spread unnoticed. Weeds are much easier controlled early on in their invasion, so make sure to always be watching for new weed patches.

When weeds are able to establish roots and create a seed bank, eradication can take years, or become nearly impossible. Yearly management is almost always necessary for effective weed control for almost all weeds in any setting.

Weed seeds can remain dormant for many years, and weed seeds can be brought in unknowingly, as outlined above in hay. Check any seed used in gardens, lawns or crops for weed seed percentage, as most will list if they contain any.

Wildlife feeds also often contain weed seeds, especially bird feeders as many include several varieties of noxious thistle seeds. Be sure to “Play, Clean, Go” when you recreate both in our county and out.

This means cleaning things that weed seeds might like to catch a ride on such as shoes, clothes, pets/livestock and all vehicles and equipment to prevent spreading weed seeds back to your homes and land.