Is Your Forage Certified Weed Free?
Are you a forage producer interested in helping prevent the spread of invasive species? If so, read more about Alberta's Certified Weed Free Forage program, how you can participate, and how the Alberta Invasive Species Council (AISC) will help you sell your forage!
The County of Barrhead is currently one of 17 rural municipalities participating in this program.
Why certify my forage as "Weed Free"?
Environmental Benefits: Invasive plants are detrimental to Alberta’s economy and environment. They degrade natural areas, decrease biodiversity, and reduce food and habitat for wildlife. Contaminated hay is one method that invasive plants spread.
Economic Benefits: As an added bonus, AISC will promote Certified Weed Free Forages to potential forage buyers, helping producers sell their Certified products! AISC will publicly provide contact information for producers with Certified Weed Free Forage inventory, run articles in local papers, publish social media posts, and include information on the program in their quarterly newsletter.
How can I certify my forage?
Weed Free Forage inspections can only be conducted by those with authority under the Weed Control Act, such as Weed Inspectors, who have recently taken Certified Weed Free Forage Inspector Training. For information on how to get your field inspected, contact County of Barrhead Agriculture Fieldman or the Alberta Invasive Species Council.
Program Information:
- Inspections must be conducted by a Certified Weed Free Forage Inspector within 10 days of harvest.
- Inspectors may certify all or a portion of a field as "weed free".
- Invasive species may be present in a field certified as weed free, as long as there are no propagative plant parts (e.g. flowers, seed heads, root fragments) present.
- AISC maintains a publicly available list of producers with Certified Weed Free Forage inventory. This list is updated frequently, available on the AISC website. Contact AISC to be added to this list.
