Limiting the spread of new weeds from the horticulture industry to agricultural lands is one of the priorities the Red Deer Agriculture Service Board will be tackling in 2013, according to chairman Phillip Massier.
"There's some noxious and restricted weeds that are showing up from the horticultural side of things and we're looking for some help at a provincial level on the enforcement of the weed act with regard to the weed/seeds in these little seed packages and some education in the cities at the horticulture stores where they sell some of these plants,î said Massier.
The topic will be just one of the resolutions debated at the annual general meeting of Alberta agricultural services boards taking place in Edmonton from Jan. 22 to 25.
The importance of that issue, Massier said, is preserving agricultural land against invasive foreign weeds that are often introduced from urban residents planting flora that aren't native to Canada.
Often, these species choke out native ones or have their own corresponding weeds that attack the non-native plants and then move out into agricultural lands and become invasive against agricultural crops.
"If they get out into the agricultural land, then they become a real nuisance,î he said, speculating that flowering rush in the Innisfail area could be one such example of the problem plants.
One of the other items on the agenda of the board this year is continuing support of the county's Off the Creek program it started in 2006 to protect riparian areas by helping to cover fencing costs and develop off-site watering systems. The program has so far supported 87 projects completed by 64 landowners.
"We're going to be continuing that program in 2013 but we're looking at creating an opportunity where people can donate funding to help farmers pay for those kind of things,î said Ken Lewis, conservation coordinator for Red Deer County.
Previously, the program was funded by the county and the Alberta Conservation Association.
"In addition to those sources of funds, we want to look at an opportunity for the individual person to donate directly to the program so that the funding can be used for projects on the ground,î Lewis said.
While the donation opportunity is still in the design stage, the Red Deer County hopes to launch it later this spring. The county is also trying to determine which geographic locations it should be focusing on and how landowners could access those funds.
Massier, who also serves as the Div. 1 Delburne/Elnora county councillor, said the agricultural services board fully supports any plans to help farmers protect their land, as they often know best how to do that.
"We're trying to assist and encourage and educate the best that we can at a county level,î said Massier.
