Regional Weed-Free Forage Certification Program

Fremont County Weed & Pest supports and provides on-site technical assistance for the Regional Weed Free Forage Certification Program. The certification program is continuing to expand in the western states. The program is one of the best measures we can take to help prevent and slow the spread of noxious weeds.

The National Forest/Nat'l Parks System in the intermountain region as well as many BLM Districts and other public lands have adopted a requirement for certified forage use on those lands.  This requirement is to prevent introduction of foreign weed species which can destroy natural habitat for both livestock and wildlife, and deplete biodiversity of native plant species.

Many of the weed species listed on the Certification Standards are not currently found in Fremont County, and perhaps with sustained effort will never become established here. However, experience indicates that some of the most persistent and costly noxious weeds present in other areas are headed this way.

The objective of the certification program is to provide forage that will prevent the introduction or spread of designated noxious weeds.  Certified forage limits the potential for transporting and dispersing listed weed species.

Weed Free Forage by Bruce Hagstrom

Annually new weeds show up in Wyoming. Some of these new infestations can be traced to the presence of hay or straw containing weeds. Presently our wild lands are relatively weed free. Certified weed free forage and mulch are just one way to keep these valuable land resources clear. Certification conserves these lands as a base for agriculture and outdoor recreation.

The United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management require the use of certified weed free hay and mulch on the lands they administer. The Wyoming Department of Transportation requires certified mulch on construction and reclamation sites to protect adjacent lands from noxious weeds. In Teton, Park, and Big Horn counties there are quarantines in effect that require agricultural products coming into these counties to be certified.

Many years ago the State of Wyoming instituted a Weed Free Forage Inspection Program to meet these needs. The program grew to include states surrounding Wyoming. These regional programs have now grown under the direction of the North American Weed Management Association (NAWMA). The NAWMA program (formerly the Regional Forage Certification Program) was initiated in 1991 by some of the western states. In the late 1990's NAWMA took over the program and created minimum standards.  Presently there are fifteen states and one Canadian province signed on or supporting these standards and weed free program.

The NAWMA standards being accepted create a real market for certified hay and mulch. To make the system work the producer must be interested in providing a premium product and interested in repeat customers.  In addition to market issues, the certification program hopefully will increase awareness of weeds in general and make people more concerned about keeping weed free lands in a more pristine condition.

The NAWMA Standards include fifty-four species that are weedy in Western North America. This weed list is made up of the designated noxious weeds of Wyoming and  states on our borders. A few are listed from Canada and the Northwest. Many of the listed weeds are not found in Fremont County. 

In addition to the fifty-four listed species, forage may also be rejected if it contains poisonous or injurious species that would reduce its fitness for livestock feed. For example, foxtail barley and cheatgrass are not prohibited on the weed list, but no one would consider them to be quality forage due to their low palatability and injury potential from barbed seeds. No one would think a bale of weed free hay should contain these weeds even though they are not listed on the prohibited weed list. Certified forage should be good forage as well as weed free. The minimum standards are high so that weed free forage is different from other marketed forage and worth a premium price.

Minimum standards require a standing field inspection within ten days of harvest.  At Fremont County Weed and Pest we prefer a three day window prior to harvest so that we can judge maturity of any weeds in the field. There can be listed weeds in the field as long as they are not mature enough to produce viable seeds. Once weeds begin to flower they can make viable seed even if they are cut. There is no tolerance allowed for weeds that have started to bloom.

Field borders and stockyards must also be free of weeds to qualify for weed free status. This means borders and stockyards need to be treated with herbicide or weeds mechanically removed (i.e.-mowing or chopping with a shovel). Stockyards and field borders must be maintained throughout the growing season in a non-blooming state.

Certified forage is usually marked with special baling twine, or serially numbered tags, or both. In Wyoming these markers are only available through weed and pest districts. Twine is used in many states and is jointly bought each year. The twine eliminates some paperwork in transporting the forage in the state. 

If transport is into another state a certificate of transit is required for tracking purposes.  Inspectors at Fremont County Weed and Pest can write these transits and prevent transport headaches. The numbered tags on bales give a number that can be tracked back to the field of origin and producer.  Trucking headaches are alleviated by the information on the transit: product type, bale size, number transported, where produced, producer's name, and who inspected product for certification, and to whom it is being transported.

For forage certification in the Riverton/Pavillion/Midvale/Shoshoni areas contact Bruce Hagstrom at 856-2192. In the Lander area contact Lars Baker or Nancy Webber at 332-1052. For the Dubois/Crowheart areas contact Bob Finley at 450-8704.

For information on minimum standards visit this link:
NORTH AMERICAN WEED FREE FORAGE PROGRAM

Click here to see the list of designated noxious weeds

Click here to see a list of weeds of concern