Rough Potato
An invasive vine not seen in the United States in six decades has been discovered in Stearns County. Sherry Kutter, a University of Minnesota Extension Master Naturalist, first spotted the vine along the Lake Wobegon Trail in Holdingford. Officials have identified it as rough potato (Metaplexis japonica), a type of vining milkweed.
Rough potato is native to eastern Asia. It has not been previously reported in North America except in 1958 in cornfields near the Iowa State University campus in Ames where it may have been part of a research project during World War II. How rough potato arrived in Holdingford is a mystery.
If you see a vining milkweed, which has a distinctive milkweed seedpod, report it to the MDA’s Arrest the Pest line at arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us or 1-888-545-6684.
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 Rough potato leaves and seed pods. R Dunning, Stearns County, 2020.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs Are Heading Indoors
With the cool temperatures arriving, many insects are heading indoors to seek shelter for the winter. Brown marmorated stink bugs are one of those insects. Look for half inch, brown colored, shield-shaped insects inside your home or outdoors. Contact Arrest the Pest if you find a stink bug that may be the invasive brown marmorated stink bug.
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 Brown marmorated stink bug adults. Susan Ellis, bugwood.org
October Weed of the Month - Winged Burning Bush
A popular landscape plant, winged burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is October’s Weed of the Month. Winged burning bush was added to the State Noxious Weed List in 2020 as a Specially Regulated Plant. The special regulation requires nurseries and growers to phase the plant out of production over the next three years, and on January 1, 2023, the species will move to the Restricted Noxious Weed category, meaning it will be prohibited from sale, propagation, and transport in the state of Minnesota.
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 Winged burning bush has bright red leaves in the fall.
September Weed of the Month - Invasive Knotweeds
In Minnesota, we have three different species of invasive knotweeds: Bohemian knotweed (Polygonum × bohemicum), Giant knotweed (P. sachalinense), and Japanese knotweed (P. cuspidatum and P. cuspidatum var. compacta). While these species do vary a little, they all look pretty similar. Knotweeds can grow to more than 12 feet tall and have large oval to heart-shaped leaves. The green stems resemble bamboo with jointed sections and will loose their leaves and turn red over the winter. Knotweed often forms dense thickets crowding out native plants and reducing habitat and also grows aggressively in managed landscapes.
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 A flowering Bohemian knotweed plant. MDA
Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Grants
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is accepting applications for the 2021 Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Grant. Counties, municipalities, tribal governments, and weed management entities (including weed management areas) may apply for grants to mitigate noxious weeds around the state. The grant application period for fiscal year 2021 opened September 1 and projects will be funded up to $5,000. The awards are intended to support local projects.
Since 2018, the MDA Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Grant has awarded over $1 million to fund a variety of activities such as purchasing equipment and supplies, conducting mapping and outreach activities, and hiring private applicators to manage noxious weeds. Ninety-nine projects were awarded averaging $9,000.
The request for proposals is open and you can find the application on the MDA website. Applications are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 15, 2020. Questions can be directed to Emilie Justen, MDA Noxious Weed Law Coordinator, at Emilie.Justen@state.mn.us.
The grant program is funded by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
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Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference 2020
The Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference (UMISC) is a biennial conference that addresses all taxa of invasive species. In 2020, UMISC will celebrate 12 years of connecting the invasive species management, research, and policy community. The goal of UMISC is to strengthen management of invasive species, especially prevention, control, and containment. There have been great strides in invasive species research, prevention, and management, but much work still must be done. The conference provides numerous opportunities to network with professionals, land managers, researchers, nonprofits, and others. This year's online conference begins November 2, and registration is open to everyone.
 Coronavirus Recommendations
The MDA has prepared many recommendations for citizens, staff, and employers in relation to growing and selling plants safely, as well as agritourism activities like apple picking, pumpkin patches and cut your own Christmas tree farms. All guidance documents related to the MDA can be found here.
To find a local farmers market, U-pick farm, or other Minnesota grown products, please visit the Minnesota Grown directory. For more information on COVID-19 in Minnesota please visit mn.gov/covid19.
2020 Year of Plant Health
The United Nations declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.
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Minnesota Certified Firewood
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has certified nine firewood producers in the state of Minnesota for heat treatment of firewood. Look for the logo when purchasing firewood. It means the firewood is safe to move and is free of emerald ash borer.
Certified firewood producers:
- Emily Forest Products
- JN Firewood
- Leroy Habiger "The Firewood Man"
- Minnesota Firewood LLC
- Paul's Fireplace Wood Inc
- Price Firewood
- Sunset Firewood Company
- TSL Firewood
- Wood Chucker Firewood LLC
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