Rain, voles encourage whitetop
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It’s a good year for whitetop.
A noxious weed, whitetop has 2-foot stalks topped with tiny white flowers. According to information from the Montana State University extension service, whitetop prefers open unshaded areas. Some outstanding examples of the pest can be seen at the Travis Dolphin Dog Park and across from the golf course in Polson.
The invasive weed likes the rainy weather Western Montana has had the last couple of years, according to Tom Benson, director of Lake County Weed Control.
Along with lots of moisture, the Valley has had more than its share of voles. Not only are the voles a tasty hors d’oeuvre for snowy owls, they also dig up the soil and move whitetop seeds to the surface.
With windy and rainy weather, it’s probably too late now to spray whitetop, so Benson asks people to wait until fall to spray.
MSU County Extension agent Jack Stivers noted that a test plot of whitetop in St. Ignatius would be sprayed in the fall as a community demonstration.
As well as reducing grazing and impacting wildlife habitat, whitetop also spreads into hayfields and threatens the hay market. The Mission Valley exports more and more hay, and since hay leaving the state and even the United States needs to be certified weed-free, Benson said it’s important to control whitetop and other invasive weeds.
“Whitetop could have international implications,” said Brad Trosper, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Land Management Program director.
Lots of Montana hay goes to Washington, where it’s cubed and sent to Japan and China.
Ken McAlpin, president of the Western Montana Stockmen’s Association, agreed. He said whitetop has been contained near Charlo, but this year it’s really “taking a run.”
Although he doesn’t think it’s likely now, McAlpin said there could be potential for a quarantine on hay from this country, which would hurt commerce and industry around the Valley.
Whitetop is hard to kill, even with repeated spraying, McAlpin said. When the flowers drop off, sometimes people will forget their whitetop patch, and it will multiply four-fold by the next year.
“As far as whitetop goes, Lake County is the poster child,” Benson noted. “We have a bunch.”
He is a certifier for noxious weed-free hay. The certified hay program is run through the Department of Agriculture. Buyer or producers wanting certified hay should call 444-7819.
Benson urged hay buyers to focus on the hay they are purchasing since one of his concerns is the spread of the pest from community to community.
“Have some weed awareness. If you didn’t see the hay when it was standing,” Benson advised, “buy second or third cutting.”
Or buy certified hay. It may cost a little more, but it won’t carry whitetop seeds.
