Certified Weed Free Forage & Mulch Program

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In cooperation with the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA), the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Plant Protection and Weed Control Program offers an opportunity for forage and mulch producers and consumers to help prevent the spread of noxious and invasive weeds within the state of Kansas and to other states.

The standards developed as part of this program are designed to:

Assure that forage and mulch certified through this program meet a minimum acceptable standard
Provide consistency between states
Limit the spread of noxious weeds

Certified weed-free forage is required on many U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands, in national parks, military locations, tribal lands and National Fish and Wildlife refuges. Certifiable forage products include straw, alfalfa hay, grass hay, grain hay, forage pellets and cubes. Recreational horse riders using federal property may need weed-free forage to feed their horses, and state and federal agencies may require weed-free mulch for right-of-way projects and on re-seeded areas following forest fires.

North American Weed Free Forage Program Standards

These North American Weed Free Forage Program Standards standards, developed by NAISMA, must be followed for inspection and participation in the weed free forage program.

Participation in the Weed Free Forage Program is entirely voluntary, and inspection will only occur upon request.

Producers can then request bale tags and/or make applications for transit certificates for their certified weed-free forage. The cost of bale tags is $0.25 each.

Rules for Participation

Failure to abide by these rules may result in an inspection being voided, bale tags not being issued or suspension from participation in the weed free forage program.

Fields inspected March 2 - November 14 must be harvested (cut) within 10 days after the inspection, including straw.
Fields inspected November 15 - March 1 must be harvested within 20 days after the inspection.
Fields must be re-inspected if circumstances prevent harvest of the forage within the allowed time frame.
The storage area for the harvested forage may also be inspected and must meet these standards.
Forage which contains any prohibited weeds may still be certified if:
- The field upon which the forage was produced is treated to prevent prohibited weed seed production or other propagule viability; or
- If none of the prohibited weeds are in the budding or bloom stage.
- A portion of a field may be certified if the inspector can sufficiently define that portion of the field to prevent any non-certified areas from being intermingled.
- After harvest, the producer must return the signed Preliminary Weed Free Forage Report within 90 days after inspection.
- Failure to submit this report within 90 days will VOID the inspection.
One official bale tag is required for each bale produced from each certified field.
An official bale tag must accompany each certified bale.
If bale tags are not requested within 1 year of the inspection, and if the bales are not sold within 1 year of the inspection, the bales and storage area must be re-inspected to be sold as certified.
Attaching an official bale tag to a non-certified bale or otherwise misrepresenting non-certified forager or mulch as being certified may result in being permanently excluded from participation in the Kansas Weed Free Forage Program.

In order for a field to be certified as weed free, the following species cannot be present unless the field upon which the forage was produced is treated to prevent seed or other propagule viability; or if none of these species is in either the budding or bloom growth stage.