Kick it to Kochia with Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Marginal Areas Program

Seeding perennial forages on marginal field acres isn’t new, but the practice is gaining ground with Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) Marginal Areas Program (MAP).

Trevor Plews, head of conservation programs with DUC’s Saskatchewan operations, helped launch the initial program in 2017. “Through MAP, we’ve been paying farmers a financial incentive to plant forages on marginal lands that are prone to salinity and other challenges,” Plews explains. “These days, with increasing weed issues along with the new forage seeding options that are available, there’s never been a better time to seed forages on marginal field acres.”

The prairie battle with kochia

Saskatchewan farmers know that when it comes to weeds, kochia is one tough nut to crack. This invasive plant thrives in heat, drought, and salt-affected soils, and emerges earlier in spring than other plants. Combined with a prolific seed production of 10,000 to 25,000 seeds per plant and seed dispersal via tumbleweed, it’s no wonder kochia is invading additional acres of Saskatchewan farmland each year.

Once effective control, herbicides now struggle to keep pace with kochia’s ability to adapt. In 2011, glyphosate-resistant kochia was first detected in Western Canada, and by 2019, 87% of surveyed sites in Saskatchewan showed resistance. With resistance now confirmed across multiple herbicide groups, chemicals alone can no longer be relied on to control this aggressive weed.

May the forage be with you

Some kochia traits, like its meagre one- to two-year seed bank, can be used to farmer advantage; land management that prevents kochia seed set and limits the number of seeds reaching the soil has a good shot at putting kochia in its place.

That’s where perennial forages come in. When forage crops are grown on kochia-affected areas, forage cutting time interferes with the weed’s critical period of flowering and seed production. Beyond that, certain forage plants have been shown to suppress the growth of kochia and reduce its emergence by up to 80%.

If much of kochia’s advantage comes down to its tolerance of salt-affected soils, forages go one step further to counter it, remediating soil salinity and altering the conditions that kochia loves. By keeping the ground covered and reducing evaporation, breaking up compaction and increasing infiltration, forage plants help keep naturally occurring salts deep within the soil profile, and out of the reach of crops.

Making forage seeding easier

DUC’s Marginal Areas Program has seen extraordinary growth since it was launched in 2017. What began with 140 acres on a handful of farms has grown to over 16,000 acres signed with more than 300 Saskatchewan producers.

But it doesn’t end there. Says Plews, “DUC recognized that producers were interested in the program but were having a tough time accessing their marginal acres with large equipment, especially in spring. In 2024, we spearheaded demonstration projects to explore the feasibility of seeding forages using UAV technology. Those projects were a huge success, and DUC now offers free custom drone seeding as part of MAP, making it easier than ever to take control of those kochia-prone areas.”

With rising input costs and volatile market conditions, farmers need practical solutions to tackle weeds like kochia. Seeding forages in affected areas provides a long-term, sustainable strategy for controlling kochia without costly, ongoing herbicide treatments. It’s a “one and done” approach that frees up resources for more productive field acres.