Published by admin on Thu, 05/02/2024 - 11:44am
CODY — “It’s the new public enemy number one.”
That describes the latest noxious weed to arrive in the Big Horn Basin — Palmer amaranth — in the words of Josh Shorb, supervisor of the Park County Weed and Pest Control District.
“It affects all core sectors of the ag industry, so it has us really worried,” he said. “It’s going to really impact Park County and the Big Horn Basin.”
The weed is hard to control, resists many herbicides, has a tremendous root system, can grow up to 10 feet tall, shades out crops, and can impede harvesting equipment, Shorb said.
One plant can produce 250,000 tiny seeds.
He cited a report from a sugar company saying the weed wreaked such havoc in Colorado last year that 1,000 acres of sugar beets were abandoned.
“Yield losses have been reported up to 91 percent in corn and 75 percent in sugar beets,” according to the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council.
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