County of Warner

The Alberta Weed Control Act

The Weed Control Act is legislation in Alberta that directs all landowners to prevent the growth, propagation and spread of regulated weed species. The Weed Control Act lists specific weed species as either Noxious or Prohibited Noxious.

View the Weed Control Act using this link

Weed Control Regulation

The Weed Control Regulation provides the list of prohibited noxious weeds and noxious weeds. It describes seed cleaning facility licensing procedures as well as the requirements of the appeal process for inspector’s notices, local authority’s notices, and debt recovery notices.

View the Weed Control Regulation using this link

Regulated Weeds

Noxious Weeds

Noxious weeds means a plant designated in accordance with the regulations as a noxious weed and includes the plant’s seeds. Examples of noxious weeds include; Common baby's breath (Gypsophila paniculata), Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), Downy brome (Bromus tectorum), Scentless chamomile (Tripleurospermum inodorum), and many more species.

Prohibited Noxious Weeds

Prohibited Noxious weeds means a plant designated in accordance with the regulations as a prohibited noxious weed and includes the plant’s seeds. Examples of prohibited noxious weeds include; Russian knapweed (Rhaponticum repens), Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), Rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea), and many more species.

Scentless chamomile (Tripleurospermum inodorum)

Russian Knapweed
(Rhaponticum repens)

Non-Native Species

These species are not native to Alberta, they have been introduced to the area either intentionally or accidentally. They displace native vegetation species and are not regulated under the Weed Control Act.

Milk River Invasive Weed Infestations

The County of Warner Ag Service Board has conducted extensive work preventing and removing invasive weed infestations along the Milk River.

In 2011 and 2012, the County of Warner was able to receive funding through the Alberta Stewardship Network – Watershed Stewardship Grant to produce and provide Invasive Weeds education and awareness signs. These signs were installed within access points along the river, the signs address the concern of the spread of invasive weeds throughout the watershed, and create a learning opportunity for watershed residents, and visitors along the Milk River.

A total of nine signs were designed with invasive weeds awareness and educational information, including images showing INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES and indicating that if you notice any of these plants, please note the location and contact the County of Warner Ag Service Board at 403-642-2255.

Every year, access locations along the Milk River are used to drop off people and equipment to float down the river. Your assistance with controlling and maybe even eradicating these INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES will benefit everyone and stop the spread of invasive weeds into the grazing reserves. These weeds can spread rapidly, encroach on pastures and threaten wildlife habitat.

The County partnered with the Milk River Ranchers Group, Cardston County, the Town of Milk River, Goldsprings Park, Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park, the Milk River Watershed Council Canada and numerous landowners to make this happen. We appreciated the work of Bonnie Hofer for the design and layout of “invasive weeds”. Thanks also to Jenna Curtis, Watershed Grant Coordinator of the Lands Stewardship Centre Canada for advice and encouragement with our project.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make this project happen!

The Ag Service Board wants to thank everyone involved for their support in making this project happen and to remind everyone to keep an eye out for these new Invasive Weed Education & Awareness signs along the Milk River!

Protect our Natural Areas… Preserve our Natural Heritage

Purchasing Hay From Outside the County

Purchasing hay from areas outside the County of Warner could cause you long-term problems. If you purchase and transport hay to your property within the county you could be transporting new noxious, and prohibited noxious invasive plants. These weeds can quickly spread forming large infestations that outcompete native rangeland plants. Chemical control of these weed species could mean costly purchases of herbicides for years to come, further, certain weeds carry mutations that confer herbicide resistance. This would mean that the only option you have for the control of these weeds is mechanical tillage which costs you money, and may not solve the problem.

There have been reports of producers from other counties experiencing substantial economic losses from purchasing contaminated hay. Don't risk your land and your business bottom line, purchase hay free from invasive weeds from a reputable source that you have thoroughly inspected. The short-term benefit of using low-quality hay is not worth the long-term problems. consequences of cheap hay may be long-term infestation that costs you money. Purchasing certified weed-free hay is a management decision that could save your business money in the long-term.

Successfully managing weed populations within your hay field could result in greater yields, as the grass and alfalfa, does not have to compete with invasive species. The increased yields could offset the cost of herbicide applications.

How do you avoid the problem?

Always inspect the hay source for weed content.
Research the source of the hay to determine which weed and pest species are a problem in the area.
Check references
Reserve the right to refuse the hay after it arrives and you've checked it thoroughly
Feed the hay to your livestock in a limited confined area, this allows you to control the problem. Remember that livestock can transport viable seeds in their gut which would be excreted throughout their range.