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Noxious Weed

8/24/2008:

On this date in 2005 the ND Department of Agriculture issued a bulletin announcing a new website designed to help fight the spread of harmful vegetation. The department’s anti-weed website is not dedicated to curtailing the growth marijuana, but the spread of noxious weeds which not only destroy crops, but are harmful to humans as well.

One of the most potent of these noxious weeds is Canada thistle. Originally found in northern Eurasia, it likely migrated to North America in the early 18th century. Truly invasive, Canada thistle crowds out native plants and releases chemical compounds, destroying competing vegetation.

Although the Canada thistle infests more than a million acres in ND, there is hope. NDSU and the USDA Agricultural Research Service are developing a variety of new potent strategies to fight the weed, including new herbicides, better land management strategies, and even the development of thistle-killing-weevils.

Sources

Johnson, Roger, "Invasive Weeds Opinion", North Dakota Department of Agriculture http://www.agdepartment.com/PDFFiles/InvasiveWeedsOpinion.pdf (accessed August 8, 2008).

North Dakota Department of Agriculture, "Invasive Species Web-Based Manual", North Dakota Department of Agriculture http://www.agdepartment.com/noxiousweeds/ (accessed August 8, 2008).

________, "New Website Provides Information on Noxious Weeds", North Dakota Department of Agriculture http://www.agdepartment.com/2005Press/other050824.htm (accessed August 8, 2008).