Published
1 month agoon
University of Wyoming agricultural economists and invasive weed specialists have released a new report on the economic impacts of 10 invasive weeds in the Cowboy State.
According to UW, the pilot study, which assesses both current and potential economic impacts, was developed in response to Governor Gordon’s 2020 Invasive Species Initiative Report. Collaborators include all Wyoming Weed and Pest Control districts and the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council Guiding Principles Committee.
“This report represents an important step to better understanding the impacts of invasive weeds on Wyoming’s agricultural economy and gives some insight into how bad it could be if such weeds were left unchecked,” Sheridan Research and Extension Center and the Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems (IMAGINE) Director and co-author Brian Mealor said.
To estimate each weed’s statewide and county-level economic impacts on agriculture, the study examined 1) current grazing and crop value losses due to infestation and 2) losses if each species were permitted to spread, unmanaged, into all potentially suitable habitat.
The 10 species analyzed in the new report are cheatgrass, hoary cress, leafy spurge, medusahead, Palmer amaranth, perennial pepperweed, Russian knapweed, Russian olive, ventenata and yellow starthistle.
For each weed, direct economic impacts were estimated as losses in cash rent for agricultural land currently or potentially infested. The authors found that “while current estimated statewide grazing losses are in the tens of millions of dollars annually, county-level impacts vary widely.”
Of the 10 weeds included in the study, cheatgrass poses the most economically damaging current and future threat to Wyoming agriculture. The authors estimate that the weed’s future impact may exceed $110 million annually if left unmanaged.
While it may be tempting to focus on cheatgrass and other species currently of highest concern, the authors advise against this tactic. “Preventing further spread of species with very limited range in Wyoming is a higher-leverage approach than waiting for them to have broad-reaching impacts before implementing a strategic management approach,” the report states.
In addition to direct economic impacts, the pilot study also estimated the “ripple effects” of lost agricultural rent. “Each year, invasive plants reduce the value of both forage and crop values across Wyoming. Beyond this, part of every dollar lost by an agricultural producer to weeds would otherwise be spent at the local feed store, restaurant or doctor’s office,” research scientist in the UW Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and co-author of the report Amy Nagler said. “Estimating these economic losses due to weed infestation is an important tool for prioritizing limited funds for control.”
The new report serves as a potential model for future studies, establishing methods for estimating the impacts of individual weeds on Wyoming’s agricultural economy. However, the authors acknowledge that their estimates are likely quite conservative because they accounted only for economic losses due to grazing reduction. Key factors like ecosystem services, recreation, wildfire and wildlife habitat were not incorporated into the pilot study.
According to UW, opportunities for further research include consideration of these factors as well as analysis of impacts to specific crops, irrigated versus non-irrigated cropland, parcel-level land area and use, and public versus private rangelands.
To view a free downloadable copy of the report, click here. Contact Mealor at bamealor@uwyo.edu or (307) 673-2856 with questions.
Dennis Fox
December 6, 2024 at 2:14 pm
The economic impact of invasive high taxes is even worse. Liberal idiots (pardon the redundancy) move here and then vote with local Sheridan Socialist for ever-higher taxes. They say taxes are much much higher were they came from and use that as a reason to impose high taxes on our local economy and residents.
And most locals know that lower taxes are better. But they keep getting outvoted by these invasive high tax imposers. Maybe we should stop high-tax-imposers at the border and turn them away.
Maybe send them to other high tax hell-holes like CA. and NYC. Just a thought.
Lower taxes are better.