Not all the weeds you read about these days are found in the local dispensaries. Some are true backyard or agricultural burdens, costing landowners and state agencies millions annually.
    Recognizing that fact, Gov. John Hickenlooper declared this week as Colorado Noxious Weed Awareness Week to highlight the importance of managing the pesky plants, abundant throughout the Mile High State.  Currently there are 55 weeds on Colorado’s noxious weed list; with the most aggressive and widespread offenders being Canada thistle, field bindweed, leafy spurge, Russian knapweed, and yellow toadflax. Broken into three categories by level of severity, noxious weeds are under fire from conservationists statewide.
    “Noxious weeds threaten our quality of life; they impact agriculture, water quality, recreational opportunities, and wildlife,” said Colorado State Weed Coordinator, Steve Ryder.  “We are working hard to eradicate, control, and minimize weed infestations across Colorado.”
    Noxious weeds infest more than one million acres in Colorado and cost Colorado landowners an estimated $100 million annually in lost productivity of range and cropland, according to Cindy Einspahr, District Conservationist for Adams County. “The Governor declared it a ‘war against weeds,’ Einspahr said. “We estimate that noxious weeds cover 1 million acres of land in Colorado.”
    All those weeds have huge economic impacts, particularly when they infest agriculture, as in the case of Jointed Goatgrass. A winter annual grass native to Asia and Europe, the weed is thought to be introduced into the U.S. as a contaminant in winter wheat seed. Some speculate that it was transported into Kansas around the late 19th century in contaminated ‘Turkey’ wheat seed brought from Russia by Mennonite settlers. Others reported it was brought into the Kansas in wheat made by the USDA, private seed firms, or individuals during the early 1900s.
    Regardless of the vector, Jointed Goatgrass mimics wheat in appearance, dropping production levels and driving lower prices per bushel at the grain elevator.
    “When they go to the elevator, farmers are docked for having it,” Einspahr said. “Of course, it can spread from field to field especially with combines traveling, so that is one that becomes costly.”
    Worse still is the insidious threat of ornamental plants run wild, such as Purple Loosestrife, Einspahr said.  Introduced as a garden ornamental, the weed has gone native, clogging streams and canals and crowding out native food and cover plant species, notably cattails, which in most cases are completely crowded out, affecting the life cycles of organisms from waterfowl to amphibians to algae. A single plant may produce up to three million tiny seeds annually, easily wind- and waterborne.
    Another example is the ubiquitous Oxeye Daisy, widely cultivated and available as a perennial flowering ornamental plant for gardens and meadow landscaping. Another weed that crowds out entire native species, the Oxeye Daisy is also host for multiple diseases affecting crops.
    To protect Colorado’s lands, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has implemented an aggressive program to manage weeds, with an emphasis on early detection and eradication.  The department has helped communities form partnerships and coordinate weed management activities.  The State Weed Coordinator has distributed $350,000 to $400,000 annually in grants to assist counties, municipalities and others in their weed management efforts. Matching funds are available to control weed infestation, available though county weed managers.
    “We can and will help with identification, planning and cost sharing to help with your weed problem,” Einspahr said. “But the ultimate responsibility for controlling weeds lies with the landowner.”
    Noxious Weed Awareness Week will be filled with local activities such as weed identification and management workshops, community weed pulling events, high tech mapping equipment demonstrations, weed infestation tours and educational displays.  For activities planned in your area and weed mitigation strategies, including cost sharing, contact your county weed manager. In Weld County, contact Tina Booton at (970) 304-6496. In Adams County, contact Chris Nasby, (303) 637-8115.
    More information, including a county-by-county weed supervisor list and photos and lists of noxious weeds, can be found by visiting www.colorado.gov/ag/csd and clicking on “Noxious Weed Management Program.”