Certified Weed Free Forage Program

Hay you! Are you a producer of weed free forage in your county? Better yet, would you like to be?!

Why?

Invasive species such as terrestrial invasive plants are detrimental to Alberta’s environment and can cost an estimated $1 billion each year. Contaminated hay is one means by which invasive plants are spread. To address this, the North American Invasive Weed Management Association has set industry guidelines and maintains minimum standards for Certified Weed Free products in Alberta, which are recognized across North America. As a participating county, we intend to promote this program to potential buyers and help producers certify and sell their Certified Weed Free Forage!

Guidelines

It’s twine to get your fields inspected! Here are some guidelines for forage producers that are interested in inspections to certify their forage as weed free:

  • Be grain-ful there’s certified inspectors to help! Inspections must be conducted by a Certified Weed Free Forage Inspector with authority under the Weed Control Act (e.g., Weed Inspectors) within 10 days maximum prior to cutting. If the crop is not cut within that timeline, a new inspection must be conducted.
  • Inspectors may certify all or a portion of a field as weed free so it’s not too mulch to handle.
  • It’s not the last straw if invasive species are present, a field can be certified as weed free if there are no propagative plant parts present.
  • Now you can rest and hit the hay, the Alberta Invasive Species Council (AISC) will take care of the rest! They maintain a publicly available list of contact information for producers with inventory of Certified Weed Free Forage. This list is updated frequently and can be found on their website, abinvasives.ca. Please let us know if you would like to be added to that list.

Let’s get this bale rolling and protect Alberta from the harmful impacts of invasive species by letting others know about Alberta’s Weed Free Forage program! For more information on how to get your field inspected, contact the Yellowhead County Agricultural Services Department at 780-325-3782 or 1-800-814-3935.

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