OFA calls on Ontario for wild parsnip control

Aug 08, 2016

Weed can be harmful to cattle if ingested

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is calling on the provincial government to help control the spread of noxious wild parsnip.

“Wild parsnip is a serious concern for farmers right now,” Bruce Webster, an OFA member, wrote on the organization’s website. “Wild parsnip is such a noxious and invasive weed that is causing a lot of concern across eastern Ontario. They can cause damage and loss to crops, seriously affect livestock, invade natural environments and they can be extremely toxic to humans.”

Some of the plant’s characteristics include:

Outcompeting native plants and reducing biodiversity.
It contains chemicals that increases skin sensitivity to sunlight.
It can reduce the quality and saleability of hay, oats and alfalfa.
It is toxic to cattle, horses and sheep and can reduce weight gain and fertility in livestock that eat it.

Different municipalities, including the City of Ottawa and City of Kington is taking the threat of wild parsnip seriously and implementing control measures.

Wild parsnip caution notice
Photo: City of Ottawa

“Spot spraying will continue throughout the summer months as needed within the City of Ottawa,” a public notice says on the City’s website, adding it will use ClearView and Truvist herbicides.

“It is equally important for the government of Ontario to take all necessary measures to control this noxious and invasive weed on provincial lands such as our highway corridors,” writes Webster. “We fully expect individuals and all governments to respect the law and fulfill their responsibility to control these weeds, including wild parsnip. It’s what we need to put the needs of our farm workers, rural residents and Ontarians ahead of this weed.”

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.