Farmers and landowners need to be extra vigilant for velvetleaf and other damaging weeds during the spring planting season.

Velvetleaf is an aggressive plant that damages crops by competing with them for nutrients, space and water. Its seeds can also survive digestion, silage processes, and persist on farms for decades.

This year velvetleaf was discovered on 29 Waikato farms which the regional council's biosecurity officers will be revisiting over the three months up to Christmas.

A further 70 at risk farms across the region will be surveyed early next year for signs of this pest, but it is possible more maybe infested, says council's pest plant team leader Darion Embling.

'Earlier this year a huge amount of work went into finding out how farms in the Waikato became infested with his pest plant. We were able to link the infestations to imported fodder beet seeds, infested maize crops and maize silage, and unclean machinery.

'With planting getting underway, it's especially important machinery is cleaned before entering a farm – it stops the spread of velvetleaf and other nasties too.”

The regional council had developed long term management plans for farms with confirmed outbreaks of velvetleaf, but the biosecurity team have already received reports of the pest plant cropping up again on those properties.

But that doesn't mean there aren't more farmers and landowners with velvetleaf on their land, says Darion.

'We're continuing to work with landowners, industry, stakeholders and the Ministry for Primary Industries, but it's going to take a long term commitment to contain and eradicate velvetleaf from our region.”

For more information about velvetleaf and other pest plants visit the Waikato Regional Council's Pest Plant webpage

To report suspected sightings of velvetleaf on your property call the Waikato Regional Council's biosecurity team on 0800 800 401.