Hearing for Proposed Changes to Noxious Weed Regulations
A public hearing will be conducted at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, to consider changes to regulations relating to noxious weeds, including additions to the designation list of noxious weeds. The hearing will be held in person at the Kansas Department of Agriculture at 1320 Research Park Dr. in Manhattan, as well as via video conferencing system.
The KDA plant protection and weed control program is proposing an amendment to K.A.R. 4-8-27 to consolidate references to control methods for the Noxious Weed Act into one regulation and add new control methods for proposed noxious weeds, followed by the revocation of the regulations which previously listed control methods separately. In addition, the program is proposing an amendment to K.A.R. 4-8-44 to add several plant species to the designation list of noxious weeds, including: adding spotted knapweed and diffuse knapweed as Category A noxious weeds; adding common teasel and cutleaf teasel as Category B noxious weeds; and adding Amur honeysuckle as a Category C noxious weed.
A copy of the proposed regulation changes, control methods, and environmental benefit statement, as well as an expanded notice of public hearing, may be accessed on the KDA website at agriculture.ks.gov/PublicComment. Anyone desiring to participate via video conference must pre-register to be provided with a video link; the registration is available in the notice of public hearing. Written comments can be submitted prior to the hearing on KDA’s public comment web page, or sent by email to Ronda.Hutton@ks.gov or by mail to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Attn: Ronda Hutton, 1320 Research Park Dr., Manhattan, KS, 66502.
Any individual with a disability may request accommodations in order to participate in the public hearing and may request a copy of the regulations in an accessible format. Persons who require special accommodations should make their needs known at least two working days prior to the hearing. For more information, including how to request special accommodations or a copy of the regulations, please contact Ronda Hutton at 785-564-6715 or Ronda.Hutton@ks.gov.
