The U.S. Department of Agri­­culture (USDA) last week granted farmers more flexibility for controlling Palmer amaranth on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) plantings, including spot and broadcast herbicide treatments.

Cost-share assistance may also be available for control and eradication purposes.

Palmer amaranth seed was found in CRP native prairie and pollinator plantings in dozens of Iowa counties last year, as well as in Illinois, Indiana,...