Invasive crop pest being planted as a wildlife food source

[Beeber]

FYI, I recieved this note from a co-worker in Michigan.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dominic Perrone

April 12, 2005 734-260-6048 or [email protected]

Michigan Ag Director seeks public assistance in stopping illegal distribution of invasive crop pest being planted as a wildlife food source

Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Dan Wyant has a message for residents, particularly wildlife enthusiasts and farmers. “It has come to our attention that a popular product being planted in the spring to feed wildlife in the fall and winter is actually an illegal plant,” Wyant says. “We have discovered that sporting goods retailers around the state have been selling the propagative parts of the prohibited noxious weed, yellow nutsedge, as a food plot material for a variety of wildlife. Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is a serious pest in agricultural areas as it threatens to reduce yields. It is a perennial weed that can be very difficult, and expensive to control, and requires the use of additional pesticides when it invades farm crops.”

Several suppliers, using a variety of brand names, are selling the small tubers under the common name chufa. Other names are chufa flatsedge and chufa tigernut. Consumers that may have purchased the product are encouraged to return it to the retailer. State inspectors are advising retailers found to be selling the product to stop doing so and return the product to the manufacturer. Retailers who voluntarily cooperate with MDA to stop selling this product will not face regulatory actions.

Anyone with information about this product is urged to contact MDA’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division at 517-373-1087, or any one of the regional MDA offices listed below:

Traverse City - (231) 922-5210

Grand Rapids – (616) 356-0600

Saginaw – (989) 758-1778

Saint Joseph – (269) 428-2546

Lansing – (517) 335-1830

Southfield - (248) 356-1701

Yellow nutsedge (nutgrass/Chufa) is also listed by the MN Dept. of Ag as a Secondary Noxious weed. and may be prohibited in many MN counties. For more information on Noxious weeds take a look at this link. http://www.mda.state.mn.us/appd/weeds/noxiousplantsminnesota.pdf