Rice County Commissioners Discuss Wild Parsnip Control

Rice County Highway Engineer Dennis Luebbe went before the Board of Commissioners meeting as a Committee of the Whole Tuesday at the County Government Center in Faribault.

The topic was one we discussed on AM Minnesota last spring. You might recall we did a story on the nastiness of wild parsnip. Many who've experienced it says it's worse than poison ivy. The sap from the plant is toxic and, when in contact with the skin in sunlight, can cause a rash, blistering and discoloration of the skin.

Luebbe told county commissioners he attended a meeting last week at the Bridgewater Town Hall where the people in attendance said the ditches in the area were being taken  over by the plant.

Wild parsnip is on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's prohibited noxious weed control list. The plant is a native of Europe and Asia and is grown as a root vegetable.

Commissioner Jeff Docken asked Luebbe about the possibility of sodding problem ditches with grass with the knowledge the wild parsnip grows in not very well-established grass areas. Luebbe thought it was an interesting suggestion and told the County Board some counties spray to control it and others mow problem ditches.

The Rice County Highway Engineer wants a policy developed concerning roadside management activities, saying the policy would address other weeds also.

Luebbe suggested the policy might earmark problem areas and said there's no way they could knock down all the wild parsnip in the county.

He told commissioners it would take a minimum three- to five-year commitment. He said he does have money budgeted for spraying this fall and said the policy could also address doing some aggressive targeted mowing also.

Luebbe will be developing a policy for the commissioners to review and commissioners said their transportation committee would visit the issue. No specific timeline was given.