Pesticide and Weed Education in Daniels County

Published: 2019
By Inga Hawbaker

Daniels County MSU Extension works closely with the Daniels County Weed District to provide education within the community regarding weed control. Weeds considered a priority in the county include Canada thistle, field bindweed, narrowleaf hawksbeard, and baby’s breath. MSU Extension partners with the Weed District on grants through the Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA), which in turn helps alleviate costs associated with annual weed control and provides cost-sharing for producers in designated grant areas. This past year, a partnership was created with Valley County on a MDA grant focusing on baby’s breath control. MSU Extension and the County Weed District also partner with Daniels County Solid Waste to provide the Pesticide Container Recycling Program through the MDA. The county has four recycling bin sites located in Peerless, Four Buttes, Scobey, and Flaxville. Started in 2009, the focus of the program is to keep HDPE #2 pesticide plastic out of Montana landfills. In 2019, approximately 9,000 pounds of container plastic was collected by the MDA in Daniels County. Hawbaker provided a public update on pounds of plastic collected and rejected at the sites in MSU Extension’s weekly column in the local newspaper to generate more awareness and commitment to the project. The update included a reminder to individuals utilizing the sites to triple rinse containers, and remove all lids, foil liners, and pesticide booklets. The products created from the recycled plastic were highlighted in the column to illustrate the resourceful nature of the project.