ND Department of Agriculture Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 27, 2009

TRAINING SLATED FOR WEED SEED-FREE FORAGE INSPECTORS

BISMARCK – The North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) and the North Dakota State University Extension Service have scheduled three sessions to train and certify weed seed-free forage inspectors.

“There is a growing demand for weed seed-free forage,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring. “These training sessions will provide North Dakota with qualified inspectors who can help producers meet that demand by certifying forage as free of weed seeds.”

Goehring said persons participating in the training sessions should have weed identification experience.

The sessions are scheduled for the followed dates and locations:

• Monday, May 11 – Dickinson State University, 291 Campus Drive, Dickinson (Agriculture Building on the west side of campus).
• Thursday, May 14 – Carrington Research Extension Center, 663 Highway 281 N., Carrington (north of the city on the west side of Highway 281).
• Monday, May 18 – North Central Research Extension Center, 5400 Highway 83 South, Minot (south side of the city on the west side of the highway).

All training sessions begin at 9 a.m. (local time) and end in the early afternoon, and include both classroom instruction and field work. Instructors include Kevin Sedivec, NDSU professor of range science; Blake Schaan, NDDA noxious weed specialist, and Jim Hansen, NDDA mapping specialist.

Interested persons should contact Blake Schaan at 701-328-2250 or blakeschaan@nd.gov for more information or to pre-reregister. Pre-registration is recommended but not required.

The 2009 Legislature authorized NDDA to train and certify weed seed-free forage inspectors.

Weed-seed free forage must not contain seeds or propagating parts of any noxious or undesirable weeds listed by the North American Weed Management Association (NAWMA) or by the state of North Dakota. Weed seed-free forage is required for use on federal lands and many state lands.

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MEDIA: For more information, please call Ted Quanrud at (701) 328-2233 or tquanrud@nd.gov or Patrice Lahlum at (701) 239-7210 or plahlum@nd.gov.