One of the most harmful weeds in the country for row crops, Palmar amaranth, was the subject of a hearing this week in the Minnesota State Senate Ag Policy Committee. Testifying before the panel was Joe Smentek, Director of Public Policy for the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association. He says this noxious weed, which is predominate in the southern U.S., was first discovered in Minnesota in 2016 and is a huge concern for growers.

He says without assistance provided to producers expected to meet buffer requirements, Palmar amaranth will spread quickly and cause a great deal of damage to soybeans.

Smentek says Palmar amaranth didn’t surfaced in Minnesota until last fall and in some cases it entered the state through contaminated seed mixes used to grow habitat for bees and wildlife.

He says Senators are continuing to work on the problem and the State Agriculture Department is expected to issue a report soon on the level of infestation of Palmar amaranth in Minnesota since last fall.