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Grant County weed officer reports uneven road coverage; board tightens contract-sprayer chemical rules
Summary
After an abbreviated spraying season with about 90% of roads treated, the Grant County Weed Board agreed Oct. 15 to require contract sprayers to document who each county-supplied chemical load is used for and to sign slips so landowners are billed directly for usage.
Weed officer Merlin Leithold reported to the Grant County Weed Board on Oct. 15 that contractor Steven completed most roadside spraying this season but that several contracted applicators did not return, leaving aerial and drone sprayer work undone and some roads untreated.
Leithold said the county achieved nearly 90% coverage but identified Highway 31 to Shields and a handful of secondary roads as not sprayed. He told the board weather late in the season—hot and windy—reduced the effectiveness of spraying and that he would not drive roads if conditions made applications ineffective.
Leithold identified Canada thistle and leafy spurge as the primary troublesome weeds this year, with leafy spurge concentrated north and east of Carson. He said overall weed levels were lower than in prior seasons.
To address accountability and reduce on-site chemical inventory, the board agreed to change its contract-sprayer procedure. Under the new practice discussed at the meeting, when a contract sprayer picks up county-supplied chemical they must specify the landowner for whom it will be used, list the gallons of each product on a slip, sign that slip, and the county will bill the landowner. Leithold explained the board cannot hold large amounts of chemical on county premises during the season and cited examples of thousands of dollars worth of product remaining on site under the old practice.
Board members expressed general agreement with the new procedure; the change was described in the meeting minutes as a board-level policy decision rather than a separately recorded formal vote. Leithold said contractor Steven will bring back leftover chemical later in the season, and that the county will collect prices for premixed and blended products for next year's bid sheet.
The board also asked staff to solicit pricing from vendors, including mixes discussed by a Novus Ag representative and information Leithold gathered from a Nutrien contact, so the county can evaluate premixed 5-gallon and larger formulations for future procurement.
Next steps: Leithold will implement the signed-slip process for chemical pickups and include premixed chemical options in the 2025 bid materials. The board did not set a separate public-comment period for this policy change at the meeting.
