The Woodward News

Local News

July 27, 2010

Certification program for hay now available in Oklahoma

Michelle Seeber Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — Oklahoma officials are now able to certify hay for producers who want the service.

The “Oklahoma Weed Free Certification Program” started Monday. It will allow farmers to sell their hay or mulch to contractors on federal projects which require the products to be certified, said Jeanetta Cooper of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF).

The voluntary program will also allow trail riders and sportsmen to take weed-free hay out of state. Before, they were forced to buy hay in other states, Cooper said.

She said the program  was established partly because “every year, around September when sportsmen got their permits to hunt in Colorado, they would call (ODAFF) wanting to have their hay certified for them. “Federal highway projects also require certified weed-free hay,” Cooper said, noting many western states already have a program in place.

Producers need to be aware that getting their hay certified requires a process, Cooper said.

First, they must  “submit an application, which will soon be on-line” at www.oda.state.ok.us under Consumer Protection Services, she said.

After inspection, they will either be given permission to have their hay baled or take care of the weed problem, if one is found.

The program is not free, said ODAFF spokesman Jack Carson.

There is an application fee, an inspection fee and a fee for identification tags, which will be issued for the hay bales if the inspector doesn’t find evidence of noxious weeds, Carson said.

According to Cooper, Bermuda grass is classified as a noxious weed, which means it cannot be certified.

The grass “is a very  hardy  grass and tends to take over meadows after being established,” she said. “It  is banned from national parks and wilderness areas where it could threaten native plants.”

Cooper said the process will add value to the state’s hay crop.

“I’ve got one producer who has 2,000 acres ready to be certified today,” she said. “It’s a mix prairie hay and he will be selling it exclusively to contractors. “Another producer in the Panhandle is trying to get certified for organic hay. There is a demand for that in  Denver, (Colo.).”

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