There’s a weed war out there and Saskatchewan rural councils have hired more soldiers to fight the enemy.
Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weed control specialist, Clark Brenzil, says about 110 of the province’s 297 rural municipalities now have weed inspectors – up a third more than last year.
“There seems to be a lot more interest,” said Brenzil.
There’s also more of a threat these days, as invasive weeds such as scentless chamomile continue to spread along roadsides and field edges into areas that have never known them.
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Saskatchewan has less stringent weed control laws than Alberta where every rural government has to employ a weed inspector. Saskatchewan RMs are encouraged to hire weed inspectors, but are not forced to have one. Manitoba has weed control districts, which most municipalities belong to, but they are not mandatory and some municipalities are not covered.
Garry Bowes, a noxious weed specialist at the University of Saskatchewan, is glad Saskatchewan RMs are hiring more professional weed warriors.
“There are a lot of people who don’t know about the weed,” said Bowes about scentless chamomile.
“You have to know about the pest before you can control it.”
Weed inspectors are essential because they act like troop commanders in the battle. A weed inspector alone can’t kill all the problem weeds, but can teach others how to identify new weed species on their own land and how to fight them.
Bowes said enforcement isn’t the most important role of the weed inspector. Farmers and other landowners are often happy to attack weeds if they know they’re there. For instance, weed seeds often follow transportation channels, such as roads and rail lines.
They often end up in the land around grain elevators, producing plants that produce more seeds that get stuck on farm truck tires and are then taken back home by the farmer.
Bowes said grain companies, railway companies and other landowners are willing to co-operate with weed control, so long as someone can tell them what to do.
“Every RM should have an inspector,” Bowes said.
“We want to see if we can put the brakes on (scentless chamomile spread) before it gets out of control.”
