❗Let's close the gap: We still need your help to raise $40,000 by April 1. Donate now

This good deed leads to weeds

Annie Baxter Dec 28, 2016
HTML EMBED:
COPY
PATRICK PLEUL/AFP/Getty Images

This good deed leads to weeds

Annie Baxter Dec 28, 2016
PATRICK PLEUL/AFP/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Farmers and agriculture experts in corn belt states are wringing their hands over the appearance of a superweed called Palmer amaranth. The tall, tough weed is native to the southwest and has been a problem in the southern part of the country for a couple decades.

But now it’s showing up in Midwestern states like Iowa and Minnesota, and threatening to reduce corn and soybean yields.

Farmers trying to do a good thing, by planting acreage with native grasses and flowering plants, may unwittingly help to spread the weed.

Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.