Mark Renz, UW-Madison Extension Weed Scientist
What does a cold winter, a wet spring, and a moderate summer produce? A bumper crop of big weeds! Yes once again weed scientists with University of Wisconsin Extension are holding the biggest weed contest at the 2014 Farm Technology days in Steven’s Point Wisconsin (August 12-14). Reports have already been coming in of people nurturing big weeds to be the 2014 prize winner. Have a weed in your field that you think is big? Cut it down and bring it to Farm Technology days and enter it in the contest.
To submit an entry stop by the Weed Doctors booth in the Progress Pavilion. We will measure the height and width of the specimen and enter it into the daily and overall contests for biggest weed. Winners will not only receive the notoriety as an expert grower of big weeds, but have a choice of weed identification books. The only rules of the contest are that
- weeds can’t be woody plants (e.g. trees)
- weeds can’t be poisonous plants
- weeds must be “donated” for display at the Doctors booth.
Last year’s winner (Japanese knotweed) was 15 ft tall and 6 ft wide. It beat out giant ragweed which came in second and third, but the slender stature of this plant failed to surpass the enormous knotweed plant. Think you have a big weed, pull it and submit it next week; you might have a winning entry.