The Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries announces a new program which offers Alabama farmers the ability to participate in a national program for the production and marketing of certified noxious weed free hay and mulch. The new program is a cooperative effort between the agriculture department and the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA). The program will be administered by the Southern Seed Certification Association with NAISMA’s standards as certification criteria.

The certification program is designed to assure that hay and mulch sold with NAISMA certification identification, meets minimum standards designed to limit the spread of noxious weeds. Certified weed free hay and mulch is often required by government agencies for highway roadside re-vegetation and other projects to avoid the introduction of noxious weed seed. Most public lands and national parks, especially in the western states, require that hay transported into those areas be certified noxious weed free.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Jim Bostick, Executive Vice President, Southern Seed Certification Association, 334-693-3988 or acia7383@gmail.com. More information about NAISMA can be found at http://www.naisma.org.