Kochia weeds have taken over Jake Leguee’s family farm near Fillmore, Sask, growing as tall as his waist. The lentil and flax fields, situated about 100 kilometers southeast of Regina, are being suffocated by this invasive tumbleweed. According to Leguee, a single kochia plant can cause extensive damage, multiplying rapidly from a single seed.
Traditionally thriving in drought conditions, kochia now poses an additional challenge with its increasing resistance to herbicides, leading to significant expenses for farmers like Leguee. Despite annually investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in herbicides, the use of Group 14 herbicides, three times more expensive than older options, has proven ineffective in eradicating these weeds.
In a bid to combat the kochia invasion, Leguee acquired a $100,000 weed terminator add-on for his combine last year. However, despite these costly efforts, the weed continues to persist, impacting crop production and profitability. Experts note that while kochia was previously limited to the southern prairies, it is now rapidly spreading northwards, reaching Saskatchewan’s northern grainbelt and even Alberta’s Peace Country region.
Shaun Sharpe, a scientist specializing in invasive weeds, attributes the northward spread of kochia to climate change and deforestation. To address this escalating issue, Agri-Food scientists are intensifying their research efforts, exploring ways to control kochia and educating farmers on identifying the species on their land. They are also monitoring other herbicide-resistant weeds like waterhemp and palmer amaranth, which are expected to infiltrate Saskatchewan within the next five years, posing a severe threat to crop diversification.
Despite ongoing efforts, the lack of comprehensive research data on invasive plant interactions complicates tracking these patterns. In southern Saskatchewan, Leguee remains hopeful for better results in his second year using the weed terminator on his combine. However, the relentless spread of kochia continues to impact food production and profitability, casting a shadow over the future of farming operations.