Certified Weed Free Feed

[connie B Berto <cberto@juno.com>]

CERTIFIED WEED FREE FEED:   Coming Soon to Your Horse         by   
Connie Berto.   1 May 2000

On the 24th of April, 2000, I attended another U.S. Forest Service 
meeting in Sacramento about the planned Certified Weed Free Feed program
(CWFF) for California.   Eleven attended, including seven equestrians.
The other four were from the Forest Service and the State Dept. of Food
and Agriculture.
     There is little doubt that noxious weeds have severely invaded
California and, in millions of acres, are out of control.  Think about
yellow star thistle, leafy spurge, and spotted knapweed, to name the
three worst offenders.  There are 134 weeds listed on California's "Bad
Weed" list.   Yellow star thistle (YST), for instance, is not only
poisonous to horses but diminishes (even ruins) the use of public and
private land for stock forage and recreation.
There is a plan for many public land agencies to require certification in
future whenever forage is brought into their jurisdiction -- not just
federal land, but state and county public recreational lands as well. 
This California regulation could come into effect as early as the year
2003, but most likely 2004.
    Just how to control the spread of weeds is the subject of a great
debate.  Scientific studies demonstrating the proportion of the problem
caused by different vectors have not been done.   These vectors include
on- and offroad vehicles, heavy equipment, infested (low-quality) hay
distributed to livestock, infested hay used for mulching the sides of
roads, stream systems, hikers, pack and saddle stock,  wildlife, and even
the wind.   There is abundant anecdotal evidence that noxious weeds can
be moved by any agent that transports reproductive plant parts or soil
containing viable weed seeds.  It is recognized that Caltrans is the
second largest purchaser of hay in the state and probably the single
worst offender in spreading YST alongside highways and roads by its
mulching.   (Caltrans will no longer use "dry land" straw and instead is
switching to "wet land" straw, such as rice straw, for mulching
roadsides.)
    Eleven mid- and western states have adopted some form of CWFF for
USFS,  BLM, and National Park Service lands.  They are:  Washington,
Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North and
South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.   It's
interesting that, although there is also a federal noxious weed list, no
eastern nor central states have a CWFF program in place -- yet. 
    Toby and Katie Horst, representing Back Country Horsemen of
California, have been working with the feds on this program for over a
year, and they have done an excellent job in maintaining the dialogue and
voicing  concerns from the equestrian side.   I came into the discussion
only  last February.   This is what has evolved.
    Although horses are NOT regarded as primary spreaders of noxious
weeds (i.e., in manure), they are still being drawn into the web of
regulations because Horses Eat Hay (also called "forage").   CWFF will
not remove established stands of weeds such as yellow star thistle, but
should slow the spread of weeds into "clean" areas.  The back country in
the High Sierra is of particular concern.   There simply isn't enough
money in agency budgets at present to aggressively attack and destroy
YST.  
     Although all types of forage (hay or straw) brought onto public
lands will need to be certified weed free, this does not include grain,
pellets, or hay cubes.  Grain is already inspected  before it is imported
into California or before it is bagged.   The process of manufacturing
pellets and cubes renders weed seeds non-viable.
    So, how about those of us who do not or will not feed pellets and
cubes, or who will not switch feeds at the last minute in order to ride
in federal lands?  Aha, this is where it gets interesting.   The proposal
is for the agricultural commissioner in each of the 58 counties in
California  to inspect hayfields that are voluntarily entered into  the
certification program by the growers.  This hay will be baled by
specially colored twine or have a special tag attached.  Consumers will
be expected to show "proof" of certification if a ranger comes by and
asks for it.
    Serious concerns remain.   Just how many hay growers will voluntarily
enter this program?    Will certification eventually  be mandatory for
hay growers? How much will it cost them to keep records, buy the twine,
and assume the burden of eradication programs for their fields?  And, for
us consumers,  WHERE will we be able to buy this certified feed?  How far
must we drive to find it?  HOW MUCH MORE will it cost us to feed our
horses?   How and when will this requirement for horsemen be mitigated if
prices go too high or the availability of CWFF is inadequate?   
    Just how effective has a CWFF program been in the other eleven
states?  How much has CWFF driven up the cost of hay for them?   Some
other states require rigs and equipment to be washed and cleaned before
entering  USFS lands.   Is this ahead for us  in California too?
     We are all concerned about the spread of the worst weeds -- who
could be against weed control!  --  but a lot of horsemen and hay growers
still don't accept the inevitability of hay field inspection.  Since the
requirements for using CWFF will only apply when riding on participating
agency lands, how can we make this market big enough to be attractive? 
Lots of "unknowns" here, lots of hard feelings that equestrians are being
unfairly pressured, and a whole lot of skepticism over the program. In
other states consistency of supply is a problem because CWFF is a niche
market just for use in federal lands.   These "unknowns" are slowing the
process and must be answered in more detail before these regulations are
put into place.
    The next meeting on CWFF in Sacramento is in July, and I'll report
back after the next meeting.