AMES, Iowa - Palmer amaranth, a new weed to Iowa and a serious threat to production agriculture, has now been discovered in at least 48 Iowa counties. Farmers, farmer advisers and others interested in learning to identify and manage this new threat will want to attend a “Keep Palmer amaranth off your farm” workshop being held across eastern Iowa.
Free, two-hour meetings are planned for southeastern Iowa in the following locations.
- March 6, 1:30 p.m., with refreshments – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Jefferson County, 2606 West Burlington Ave., Fairfield. Pre-register by calling 641-472-4166.
- March 6, 7 p.m., with refreshments – ISU Extension and Outreach Appanoose County, 501 N. 12th St – Suite 4, Centerville. Pre-register by calling 614-856-3885.
- March 7, 11 a.m., with a light meal – ISU Extension and Outreach Monroe County, 219 B Ave West, Albia. Pre-register before March 2 by calling 641-932-5612.
- March 21, 1:30 p.m., with refreshments – ISU Extension and Outreach Mahaska County, 212 N I St., Oskaloosa. Pre-register by calling 641-673-5841.
- March 23, 6:30 p.m. – Roberts Memorial Building, 20497 Hwy 1, Keosauqua. Pre-register by calling 319-293-3039.
- March 28, 1:30 p.m. – Pin Oak Marsh Lodge, 45996 Hwy 14, Chariton. Pre-register by calling 641-774-2016.
Meetings are free and open to the public. Two pest management CEUs will be offered for Certified Crop Advisors. Pre-register with each county extension office prior to the workshop. Six eastern Iowa workshops were announced early this week
“With Palmer amaranth discoveries quickly increasing across the state, proper identification is key to controlling infestations and preventing movement to crop fields,” said Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “With early identification, eradication of this problem weed is still possible in many areas.”
Palmer amaranth is one of several pigweed species found across Iowa. Other pigweed species found in the state include waterhemp, redroot pigweed, Powell amaranth and spiny amaranth.
“At a quick glance there are many similarities among the weedy pigweeds, but knowledge of what specifically to look for simplifies differentiating Palmer amaranth from the other pigweeds species in the state,” said Vittetoe.
Farmers and scouts should be observing high-risk areas for Palmer amaranth, including areas with significant equipment movement, suspicious-looking waterhemp infestations, newly-seeded conservation plantings and areas near animal agriculture operations. This workshop will discuss new discoveries of Palmer amaranth across the state, key traits to differentiate the common amaranth species in Iowa from Palmer amaranth and management in both crop and non-crop areas.
For further information, please contact Rebecca Vittetoe at 319-653-4811 or rka8@iastate.edu.
PHOTO: Palmer amaranth has now been discovered in at least 48 of Iowa’s 99 counties Learn how to identify and manage this new threat with the “Keep Palmer amaranth off your farm” workshop. Photo by Meaghan Anderson, ISU Extension Field Agronomist