Mission: Provide leadership and education in the long-term control of noxious weed management through cultural, biological and chemical control strategies.

Services: 

• Weed identification
• Assist in planning a noxious weed control strategy to landowners.
• Provide biological control agents for Leafy spurge and other noxious weeds 
• Provide partial reimbursement of herbicide and application costs to non-crop and non-CRP lands
• Weed Seed Free Forage inspections and certification
• Weed infestation reporting

Weed Identification List

History: In 1981 the Cass County Weed Control District was established to control the spread of noxious weeds in Cass County. The District operates under a five-member County Weed Board appointed by the County Commission. The Weed Control Officer is responsible for the daily activities of the District. The Weed Board meets monthly on the second Monday of the month at the Weed Control Office at 1201 Main Ave W, West Fargo.

The description of the weeds and control measures in this website are adapted from various sources including Identification and Control of Invasive and Troublesome Weeds in North Dakota, Weeds of the West, North Dakota Weed Control Guide. For more detailed information, contact Kyle Aasand, Weed Control Officer.

Informational Links

• North Dakota Control Weed Association
• North Dakota Department of Agriculture

Educational Resources

• North Dakota Weed Control Guide
• Identification and Control of Noxious and Troublesome Weeds
• A Guide to North Dakota Noxious and Troublesome Weeds

The Weed Board consists of five members appointed by the County Commission for four-year terms.  The Board has four members from rural districts and one member from the City of West Fargo.  The members are:

Board Member	Title	Address	Phone
Marty Murch	Chairman	1782 151 Ave SE, Hunter, ND 58078	701-799-0659
Clayton Brennan	Board Member	2608 Ann St., West Fargo, ND 58078	701-282-8806
George Grossman	Board Member	810 12th Ave NW, West Fargo, ND 58078	701-433-5400
Ken Hagen	Board Member	14964 47th St. SE, Leonard, ND 58052	701-347-5533
Dalen Grieger	Board Member	2958 136th Ave SE, Buffalo, ND 58011	701-799-2141

Report a noxious or troublesome invasive weed infestation, email the county weed control officer.

Noxious and troublesome invasive weed are a detriment to the environment. They can reduce the productivity of land, reduce native forages for native wildlife and livestock, and can cause harm to people and can ultimately ruin the land.   Small infestations are easier to control and should be reported to the Weed Control Office. 

Leafy Spurge Flea Beetle

Certain noxious weeds can be controlled with the use of biological control agents, specific organisms which attack the weeds and kill the plants. The leafy spurge flea beetle is an excellent example of a successful biological control agent. The introduction of the leafy spurge flea beetle (Aphthona ssp.) has reduced infestations of leafy spurge and is working to help check the expansion of leafy spurge. The LS flea beetle feeds and lays it eggs on leafy spurge and does not attack any crops or other plants. 

Various biological agents have been introduced and released for nearly all of North Dakota's noxious weeds. 

Watch the videos below to learn more about leafy spurge flea beetle collection and care. They may be a little old, but the message remains the same - leafy spurge flea beetles work! 

Application for Landowner Assistance

Controlling noxious weeds can be a costly endeavor for the landowner.  The Weed Board can provide partial reimbursement for herbicide and application costs.  The assistance is available to all landowners and land managers for non-crop and non-CRP acres.  Pastures, rangeland, private roadsides and wasteland areas in Cass County qualify.

Reimbursements can be made for up to 80% of certain herbicides and up to $3.50 per acre for application costs, up to a maximum of $1800 per applicant.  Control measures can be conducted at anytime during the growing season.  Applications need to be in the Weed Control Office by October 31.  If the total reimbursements requests are higher than the budgeted amount, reimbursements will be pro rated to stay within budget.  Reimbursements will be determined by the Weed Board during its November Board meeting. 

To apply for reimbursement, compete, print and sign the application and include an aerial map (FSA, Google Earth or similar) of the of the infested area and the purchase receipt of approved herbicides.

Mail all information to Cass County Weed Control, 1201 Main Ave., W,  West Fargo, ND 58078.

Apply to have a field inspected for Weed Seed Free Forage - email the county weed control officer

Recreational horse owners that trail ride in federal and state parks may need to provide certified Weed Seed Free Forage for their animals.  Using Weed Seed Free Hay in the parks helps to control the spread of invasive weeds into native prairie and rangelands.  All certified hay is inspected prior to cutting for presence of certain weeds.  If any of the listed weeds are in the pre-bloom or seed production stage the hay can be certified.  If any weeds are in the bloom stage the field is not certified; however, it can then be cut as regular hay.  All hay bales are tagged to prove certification. 

Grain straw or other plant material to be used as mulch can also be certified as Weed Seed Free Forage.  Inspection criteria is the same for hay lands.  The program is administered by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.  Forage producers and inspectors are listed on the NDDA website.

Forage producers that wish to have their lands inspected and certified as Weed Seed Free Forage can contact the Cass County Weed Control office for a Request to Inspect. 

Spotted hemlock has been added to the Cass County noxious weed list in 2024 due to its poisonous nature.  All parts of the plant contain the poison which can kill animals and people. Spotted hemlock grows in wetland areas, alongside cattails in ditches, drains, and marshy areas.  Livestock producers should be on the lookout for Spotted hemlock infestations when cutting ditch hay or low wet grassy areas.  Read the description under Noxious Weeds.  All landowners are required to control Spotted hemlock along with all other noxious weeds.   

Hay producers wishing to harvest ditch hay in state, county or township ditches need to be aware that the herbicides used by Cass County Weed Control to control noxious weeds may have a haying/grazing restriction. This means that a certain amount of time must pass after herbicide application before grazing or haying operations may begin.  The restrictions are dependent upon the specific herbicide used and are listed on the product label. 

Since spraying operations are dependent upon the weather, wind direction and adjacent crop, Cass County Weed Control cannot develop a schedule as to when a certain area will be sprayed.  Hay producers should contact the Weed Control Office to determine what if any restrictions apply for the area they wish to cut for hay.

Hay producers wishing to not have any herbicides applied in the ditches that they wish to cut for hay should also contact the Weed Control Office to identify those areas.  The spray applicators will be notified and to check those areas for noxious weeds after the ditch has been hayed; this most likely will be done in the fall. 

For questions or to post a road ditch as a no spray zone for haying purposes, please contact the Weed Control Office.

Composting of manure or straw mulch

Compost or animal manure is a premium fertilizer for vegetable gardens and flower beds.  If you are using compost or animal manure, ask the provider where the product originated from. Certain herbicides used for controlling weeds, aminopyralid and picloram in grasslands and road ditches and clopyralid in crops, have residual properties meaning they do not break down quickly. These herbicides can remain active for several years and only break down by soil microbes. Straw mulch or animal bedding harvested from crops that were treated with clopyralid should not be put into compost. Manure from livestock fed ditch hay treated with picloram should also not be put into compost or used as fertilizer. Sensitive crops and bedding plants will be impacted and may die. It may take several years for the herbicide to fully decompose and not affect sensitive plants. If you are not sure if the compost materials or manure was derived from herbicide treated materials, do not use it in your gardens.