You are now required to use Certified Weed Free Seed Hay and Forage on all Federal Lands!
Why should you use weed free straw and forage?
Noxious weeds displace native plants species, diminish the beauty of the landscape and recreation experience, decrease wildlife habitat and ecosystem biodiversity, and increase soil erosion rates, sending sediment into streams. Once a noxious weed is species is widely distributed it is very difficult to remove it, making their effect on the environment permanent.
What is certified straw or forage? Certification provides assurance that the field was inspected based upon a reasonable and prudent visual inspection by a certified inspector, and no noxious weeds were detected.It permits entry of the certified products (Idaho Standard) into USFS lands in Idaho, and into (North American Standard) USFS land throughout the U.S. and in Provinces in Canada. Some weeds listed on the North American Statndard are not listed on the Idaho Standard. A certified crop can have just the Idaho Standard certification or be certified for both Standards.
How do I know if straw or forage is certified weed free?
You will know you are buying certified Noxious Weed-Free hay/straw bales by the ISDA certification bale tag attached to the bale twine, or it will have at least one strand of blue and orange (intertwined) twine encircling the bale. Bags of certified pellets and cubes will also have a tag or sticker displaying the ISDA logo.
Tag found on compressed bales.
Logo found on bags of certified pellets or cubes.
Tag found on weed free hay and straw.
NAWMA twine
Forage and Straw Certification To request a field inspection or fee information, contact your County Weed Control Superintendent, Daniel Bertram or Squeak Barsalou, a certified inspector. Please contact them several weeks prior to the intended harvest date.An approved inspector must inspect a field prior to, but no sooner than ten days before harvest. If no noxious weeds are detected, the inspector will issue a Certificate of Inspection. A field will be certified either: North American Standard (Definition: Free of weeds declared noxious according to the North American noxious weed list and Idaho State Noxious weed list Comparison List) Idaho Standard (Definition: Free of the Idaho’s State 57 Noxious Weeds Comparison List ) Bales must be marked with either a ISDA certification bale tags or North American Standard blue and orange (intertwined) twine (minimum of 1 strand per bale). North American Standard twine can only be used on bales that are certified to the North American Standard. NWFF&S certification bale tags and North American Standard blue and orange twine is only available from the Certifying Inspector.
A minimum of thirty dollars ($30) per inspection shall be charged for up to ten (10) acres and three dollars ($3) per acre thereafter, for fields up to ninety-nine (99) acres. Fields that are one-hundred (100) acres or larger in size, the fee is three dollars ($3) per acre for the first one-hundred (100) acres and two dollars ($2) per acre thereafter. It also cost 5 centes ber bale tag that can be picked up after certification at the Lemhi County Weed Control Office.
Daniel Bertram Lemhi County Weed Superintendent Certified Weed Free Straw & Forage Inspector Brooklyn Annex 200 Fulton Salmon, ID 83467 208-756-2815 ext 282
For a list of certified weed free straw and forage growers in your county as well as additional infomation on certification requirements, frequently asked questions and where to buy certified products please visit the Idaho State Department of Agriculture website link below.
