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Weed director warns rising herbicide prices threaten cost-share program; proposes modest 2026 increase
Summary
Weed Department Director John Landon told commissioners that rapid herbicide price increases have turned previously break-even cost-share sales into losses and described how the county's cost-share program and equipment-replacement plan work; he proposed a 5.5% budget increase and warned of revenue uncertainties.
John Landon, director of the Shawnee County Weed Department, presented the department's mission and a detailed explanation of the county cost-share program, equipment-replacement needs and the budget implications of recent herbicide price increases.
Landon said the department enforces the Kansas Noxious Weed Law, focuses on education and control, and typically contacts landowners before issuing formal notices. He explained that the county legally must cost-share 25% in accordance with the mill levy framework that funds the program, and that the department can only cost-share approved herbicides and must follow Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) prescription for control methods.
Landon walked commissioners through the cost-share formula and handling fees: the county uses a KDA spreadsheet to calculate storage and handling fees (about $6 per container) and said the break-even threshold is roughly $24 per container. He stressed recent price jumps: he gave examples of chemicals whose per-container prices rose sharply between March and July (2,4-D from $31.85 to $54.65; Remedy from $44.50 to $72.50), turning modest margins into significant losses if purchased at new prices.
Landon provided year-to-date sales volumes (glyphosate containers sold year-to-date: 863) and estimated the current loss exposure if July prices had been in effect for those sales. He described the department's strategy to offset losses by selling non-cost-share materials and noted the equipment-replacement plan that would require roughly $121,000 transferred annually to sustain replacement cycles.
On the 2026 budget, Landon proposed a total of $448,454 on the spreadsheet but noted volatility in revenues; he advised caution and said that making conservative reimbursement assumptions could force higher per-unit cost-share pricing or risk midyear shortfalls. Commissioners and staff discussed cooperative purchasing with neighboring counties, the possibility of a state contract and the department's flexibility to purchase chemicals throughout the year rather than prebuying large volumes.
Landon also highlighted Kansas Department of Agriculture additions to the state noxious-weeds list (including certain teasels and bush honeysuckle) and potential cost impacts if new herbicide formulations (for example, Crossbow) are added to the permitted cost-share list. He said Crossbow "will" work on honeysuckle and that homeowners can purchase it, but cautioned that Crossbow's ester 2,4-D formulation has drift risks at high temperatures compared with other formulations.
Landon recommended commissioners consider revenue realism in final budget decisions; he asked for a short window to amend numbers before budget finalization. No formal votes were recorded during the discussion.
