...to enforce and carry out the Nebraska Noxious Weed Control Act, and to Encourage and develop better weed control practices in Nuckolls County
In Nuckolls County, the Nuckolls County Board of Commissioners contracts the Weed Control Superintendent, and sits as the Weed Control Board. The Weed Control Board directs the activities of the Weed Superintendent.
It is the duty of each person who owns or controls land to control noxious weeds on such land.
Noxious Weeds in Nebraska
The following is a list of the current weeds on the Noxious Weed List http://www.neweed.org/weeds.htm. as set by the State of Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
Musk Thistle *, Leafy Spurge *, Diffuse Knapweed
Plumeless Thistle, Canada Thistle *, Spotted Knapweed
Purple Loosestrife, Saltcedar
* Denotes species found in Nuckolls County
Nuckolls County Weed Department Activities
In 2004 the Noxious Weed Control Superintendent performed 164 inspections. Inspections are made by land and from the air. Most inspections relate to Musk thistle while there are 4 known infestations of Canada thistle and 5 infestations of Leafy Spurge. At the present time, there have not been any sightings of Plumeless thistle, Spotted or Diffuse Knapweed, or Purple Loosestrife in Nuckolls County.
Yellow Toadflax has been identified in Nuckolls County. Yellow Toadflax is on Nebraska’s Watch List and is known to be very troublesome weed in the Northwest United States.
Nuckolls County Statistics
There are 368,429 acres of land under the jurisdiction of the Nuckolls County Weed Control Authority. The Weed Control Superintendent surveys infestations of Noxious Weeds on the 136,026 acres of pasture and rangeland. In addition to pasture and rangeland the following areas are monitored:
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230 acres of Railroad right of way
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701 acres of Non-Agricultural
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7,337 acres of County and State right of ways
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224,135 acres of Cropland
History of Nebraska Weed Control Law
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1873 Noxious Weed Control Law names first noxious weed, Canada Thistle.
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1962 All counties must have a Weed Control Eradication and Control District.
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1965 Noxious Weed Control Superintendent is established. The Superintendent is under the authority of the Weed Control Board and the State of Nebraska.
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1989 Current Weed Law is passed. Noxious Weeds include Musk thistle, Plumeless thistle, Canada thistle and Leafy Spurge.
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1993 Spotted and Diffuse Knapweed are added as Noxious Weeds in Nebraska.
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2001 Purple Loosestrife added as the States 7th Noxious Weed.
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2002 Nebraska Weed Watch List developed to identify potential new problems.
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2005 Saltcedar added as the States 8th Noxious Weed.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why do we need a noxious weed law? a weed is declared noxious when it is determined that it seriously threatens the welfare of the residents of the state and a sustained effort is needed to prevent serious economic loss. Regulations are implemented to control the weed and prevent its spread.
Do lease agreements between tenants and landowners change legal responsibility to control noxious weeds? No. All legal notices are required by law to be served to the landowner regardless of any lease agreement.
Can a landowner be forced to control noxious weeds on their property? Failure to comply with a served legal notice can result in a fine up to $1,500 or being billed for control work being done.
What about weeds such as sunflowers, bindweed, dandelions and velvetleaf? Only those weeds designated as noxious by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture are under the jurisdiction of the weed control authority.
Who is responsible for weeds inside city limits? Usually the city has a height regulation that prevents weeds from growing out of control inside city limits. If not controlled by the city, the county may issue legal notices on noxious weeds inside city limits.
Links
Nebraska Weed Control Association http://www.neweed.org/
Nebraska Department of Agriculture
B Plant Industry http://www.agr.state.ne.us/division/bpi/bpi.htm
North American Weed Management Association
http://www.nawma.org/
Invaders Database System
http://invader.dbs.umt.edu