Utah waging war on weeds deadly to livestock, offers app to alert adjoining states

Utah has started a $1.3 million war on weeds to protect livestock and food supplies, and has included a phone application that lets users connect with residents in nearby states to alert them to weeds migrating across borders, reports Taylor Anderson for the Salt Lake Tribune. (Tribune photo by Al Hartman: Leafy spurge)

One dangerous weed, called leafy spurge, contains a substance poisonous to livestock, while another known as cheatgrass dries out in the summer, and acts like a highly flammable fuel that contributed to record wildfires Utah had last year, notes Anderson. Commissioner of Agriculture and Food Leonard Blackham said if left unchecked, "An entire area can become basically unproductive for livestock, for food production or for wildlife or even for meaningful recreation."

The free smart phone app lets users "identify invasive species with their phones and report their location, which state employees then verify." The app has already been used to identify plants that are spreading into Utah from Arizona and Idaho. (Read more)