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Dunn County adopts alternating mowing/spraying approach and agrees to limited accommodations for landowners
Summary
The committee directed highway staff to alternate countywide roadside herbicide spraying and mowing annually, and to accommodate landowners who request not to be sprayed where practicable.
The Dunn County Highway Committee voted to implement an alternating approach to roadside vegetation control: spray herbicide across half the county one year and mow that half the next year, then switch the following year.
Committee members said the plan balances cost and equipment availability — staff explained spraying a full width is cheaper and faster than mowing, but spraying remains controversial among residents, particularly some organic farmers. Under the agreed approach, staff will spray one half of the county each year and mow the other half, then swap the next year. The committee instructed staff to offer accommodations for property owners who request no herbicide adjacent to their land, with the understanding accommodated sections will be left un-sprayed for the season and mowed when the program rotates.
Staff noted some technical details: the department typically sprays a 22-foot width but can reduce that to 10 feet in sensitive locations; spray operations occur early in the spring before mowing; brush-control products may provide residual control for 3–5 years and can be used selectively. Committee members asked staff to prepare maps and operational guidance so spray crews can identify agreed no-spray parcels during the spraying window.
The committee’s direction is operational rather than regulatory: staff will implement the alternating program for 2025 and manage individual accommodation requests, and they will incorporate no-spray locations into crew maps and schedules.
