After a very mild winter the growing season for noxious weeds is off and running. According to Travis Osmond of the Lincoln County Weed and Pest Department, it’s as if everything has been moved up a calendar month.

Everything is ahead of schedule,” he told SVI. “Everything is growing right now as if it’s June. Everything is moved up a month. We’re already seeing Dyers Woad that’s 6-8 inches tall. Our roadways need a lot of help. Everything is just literally a month ahead of schedule.”

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Osmond is reminding landowners of their responsibility to look at the potential noxious weeds on their property before it becomes a much bigger problem down the road.

“Landowners need to see what’s going on in their yard,” he said. “Most people think everything is 2-3 inches tall until it’s 12-13 inches tall and then it gets harder to control at that point. Now is the time to control it.”

With dry conditions Osmond noted that thistles will be abundant this year as well Black Henbane.

“Black Henbane will be really bad this year,” he continued. “One individual in Thayne last year; they were kind of late getting to it and by the time that happens all you can do is [use] a chainsaw. You have to be on top of things and see what’s going on. If a plant doesn’t look right, it probably doesn’t belong there. There are a lot of things we can do to address the problem.”

While the Weed and Pest does not provide spraying services, they do provide information and tools such as pesticides. One of the biggest elements they can help with is using their own experience.

“Education is key,” Osmond added. “As landowners and stewards of our land its up to us. The internet is not always the best information. Take it all with a grain of salt but come in and talk to us. Some are annuals, some are biennials some are perennials. It depends on what you’ve got and what your goal is. We’re nice guys, just give us a call and set up an appointment and we can help you check out what you’ve got.”

Wyoming is one state that works to battle noxious weeds as explained by Osmond.

“Every day people are moving into Wyoming,” he concluded. “The reason they are moving here is because it’s so beautiful. In 1969 the Noxious Weed Law was put into place and the citizens who lived here know their role in keeping things beautiful. Some of the people moving in don’t understand this. We work really hard to keep this place beautiful. Do your part, if you buy some ground you are now the steward of that land. You need to make sure you keep the noxious weeds clean. It can impact your land in the future.”