Madison County Noxious Weeds District

08/31/2026

This is great information about Spotted Knapw**d.

One correction to the article and quote:
It states that "Grazon" is Restricted Use herbicide, but there are a couple different Grazon products and they are not all Restricted Use.

The most commonly-purchased herbicide in Madison County for treating Spotted Knapw**d is GrazonNext HL and it is NOT Restricted. Grazon PD3, however, contains Picloram (like Tordon), so it is Restricted.

Otherwise, the information in this article is well-written.

08/27/2026

Stacy Davis, Research Associate; and Noelle Orloff, Associate Extension Specialist, Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences

08/25/2026

Great video clip showing the importance of adding a surfactant to your herbicide mix (as specified in your herbicide label).

There are lots of surfactant products out there and some work better than others. For instance, some do a great job at spreading the herbicide out on the leaf surface, but others may do the same plus also have the ability to help the herbicide pe*****te through a waxy or hairy leaf surface. The latter may be more expensive, but if it helps your herbicide $ be more effective on tough plants, it's probably worth it.

Note: Not all herbicides require adjuvants, like surfactant, to be added to your herbicide solution, so be sure to check the herbicide label. For example: Rejuvra, a pre-emergent herbicide, is really a soil treatment, so a surfactant is not needed. Also, Makaze, which is a Glyphosate product (non-selective), already has surfactant mixed in with the active ingredient, so no additional surfactant needs to be added.

08/25/2026

As if the invasive plant species aren't bad enough, we also have these nasty things moving closer to our part of Montana.

The Eastern Heath Snail is something you want to watch out for because they are extremely problematic and very difficult to eradicate.

If you see these little white snails climbing upon plants or even equipment here in SW Montana, please report it to MT Dept of Ag, MSU Extension, or our office.

The eastern heath snail (Xerolenta obvia) has been detected in Gallatin County for the first time. The eastern heath snail was first detected in Montana in 2012 in Belt, Cascade County. Since then…

08/21/2026

Good information about Spotted Knapw**d and trying to manage it with mowing.

We have seen plenty of this adaptation to mowing right here in Madison County over the years.

If mowing is your chosen method for controlling Spotted Knapw**d, timing and persistence are critical. Frequent or early mowing can actually encourage knapw**d to adapt by growing low to the ground, where it can bud, flower, and produce seed below mower height. Instead, mowing should be timed around early flowering, after the plant has invested energy into producing its flowering stem but before viable seed is produced.

Montana research found that one properly timed mowing per year for three consecutive years reduced adult spotted knapw**d density by about 85%. However, mowing primarily suppresses seed production rather than killing established plants, and spotted knapw**d seed can remain viable in the soil for up to eight years.

That means you may see substantial improvement within about three years, but continued monitoring and prevention of new seed production will be necessary for many years afterward. The goal isn't simply to cut the w**ds...it's to stop them from replacing themselves long enough to exhaust the existing population and seed bank.

Survival of the Fittest

We've all heard the expression, "survival of the fittest..." let's apply that to spotted knapw**d! He (lol) is stubborn ol' w**d!

What happens when we cut or mow as a method of control?

While mowing will help reduce seed production initially, repeated mowing is pointless! Why mowing alone fails as knapw**d control:

1. Plants adjust their height and spread further out and closer to the ground, (survival adaptation) thus producing viable seed heads closer to the ground.
2. Mowing stresses the plant, but its deep taproot allows it to resprout. This time stronger and smarter!
3. Mowing fails to kill established stands making it more difficult to control over time. As the height decreases, the plant creeps along the ground.

Mowing or cutting spotted knapw**d by itself is not considered an effective management method. Repeated mowing causes spotted knapw**d to adapt by growing shorter and becoming blooming the height of the mower blade

Mowing may be useful as part of an integrated management plan (IPM), but the goal is to prevent noxious w**ds from propagating or going to seed. Instead use a combination of methods such as:

1. Apply selective broadleaf herbicide in early spring or fall.
2. Pull small patches manually, ensuring you remove the entire taproot (be sure to wear gloves).

3. For larger patches use biological control insects like root and seed-head weevils to reduce patch density over time.

08/20/2026

GOOD NEWS!
The Montana Department of Agriculture was able to get a new driver hired already for their Pesticide Container Recycling Program truck, so they will be doing on-site container recycling again this summer. With this news, we deleted our previous post about not bringing any empty containers to the W**d District.

The pesticide container recycling truck will be coming to the Madison County W**d District facility in Alder next week, so if you commercial or private applicators would like to bring your PROPERLY PREPARED empties and drop them off in our cage, please do so by August 26th (next Wednesday).

YOU MUST HAVE THE EMPTY CONTAINERS PROPERLY PREPPED BEFORE DROPPING THEM OFF! We were informed last year that if we have containers that are not properly prepped, the Recycling Truck will no longer come to Madison County. So, please help us keep this very convenient service by doing your part to prep your containers.

The labels on the containers have disposal instructions and I am including this link which also lays out the container prep procedure...https://agr.mt.gov/_docs/pesticidecontainerrecycling-docs/Inspection_checklist_eng_8.5x11-Rev-20230104-FINAL.pdf

Consumer pesticide containers like what you would get from a box store or hardware store ARE NOT ALLOWED in the program.

Our gates are open from 8:00am-4:30pm (sometimes longer) Mon-Friday. Again, drop of your RINSED AND PROPERLY_PREPPED EMPTY PESTICIDE CONTAINERS by next Wednesday, Aug 26th.

08/17/2026

Commercial Applicators, see below announcement from MT Dept of Ag regarding the status of its pesticide container recycling truck.

Until we know for sure that the Recycling Truck will be coming through again, please DO NOT drop off your rinsed empty containers at our shop.

When they find another driver and plan to come through here again, we will announce it so that you can bring your RINSED and properly prepared empty containers to our drop-off again for recycling.

Until then, see their announcement below for disposal options, and if you know someone looking for a truck driving job, maybe share this announcement with them too. :-)

08/11/2026

The bounty board has another name on it.

Bluew**d is crossing into new territory.

Traditionally found in Western Montana, this invasive w**d is now beginning to show up further east.

The best time to stop an outlaw is before it settles in. See it, report it. Help stop the spread.

Montana Noxious W**ds
Montana W**d Control Association

08/08/2026

While Angie is running our booth at the Madison County Fair, Clayton is in Ennis tonight for the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group - W**d Committee annual fundraiser event.

He assisted Ryan Graber, of Precision Ag Drones in Sheridan, with an educational presentation this afternoon before the main banquet gets rolling.

Even though it may seem like all we do at the Madison County W**d District is spray w**ds, much of our work is dedicated to outreach and education at events like these.

In the case of the MVRG-W**ds Noxious W**ds Banquet, we are also there to support their organization as they are fantastic partners and administer the Madison County Bio-Control Project grant for us.

08/07/2026

Day 1 of our time at the 2026 Madison County Fair was a good time.

It got a bit hot, but we brought in a shade canopy and fan which made it much more bearable for our gals who were running the booth (after we figured out how to get the thing put up 🤣).

Thanks to all who stopped by to visit. We will be here for the next two days, so if you have questions about noxious w**ds and how to control them, come on by.

Thank you to Madison County Madison County MT Fairgrounds and Rodeo for all your hard work!