State Weed and Pest Commission to consider daisy as toxic weed

Talk about it

PIERRE – Oxeye daisies are considered by many in South Dakota to be a beautiful wildflower. But that’s not how the state Weed and Pest Commission beholds them.

The commission wants to allow county boards to designate the species as a noxious weed. That would force landowners to get rid of the long-stemmed daisies on their properties or possibly face enforcement.

A proposed change in state weed and pest rules received a public hearing Wednesday. Three people sent letters opposing the change and two wrote in support.

Scott Guffey and Nathan Jagim, the weed and pest directors from Pennington and Meade counties, testified at the hearing and spoke in favor of the change.

They said cattle won’t eat it, and dense stands of daisies choke out other rangeland and pasture vegetation.

“It is probably one of the most abundant invaders we have in the northern (Black) Hills right now,” Jagim said.

The seeds were often part of wildflower mixtures sown by home gardeners and by road-construction crews. The plant likely was brought to North America from parts of Europe and Asia.

The next step is a decision by the Legislature’s rules review committee whether to allow the change to take effect. The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for May 29. A second public hearing Wednesday on proposed updates in rules for interstate transportation of milk and milk products drew no written comments, telephone calls or testimony.

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