A crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture says growers need to be on the lookout for the noxious weed, Waterhemp.
"When they were harvesting their soybeans, if they saw patches hopefully, they did not put those through the combine," said Dennis Lange.
In 2023, Waterhemp was confirmed in over 20 municipalities and Lange says there will be more added to the list this year.
According to Manitoba Agriculture, Waterhemp has oval to lance, or spearhead shaped waxy-looking leaves that grow three to six inches long with an alternate leaf arrangement on a hairless stem. It typically grows four to five feet tall but can grow to more than 10 feet tall. It is also difficult to manage.
"So, growers just have to watch out for some of these tall Water Hemp plants along those fields edges and in drains and those types of things," noted Lange. "You're not going to be seeing much right now but I think it's just continually monitoring moving forward into next year and making sure that you can keep this weed under control."
If a field becomes infested with Waterhemp, added Manitoba Agriculture, counterparts in Ontario have estimated that control costs will increase by $45 to $60/acre.