In late June of 2022, city officials started investigating Foxtail Barley that has been coming from a farm field located on Eckel Junction Rd. The city was alerted by nearby residents after seeds from the weed blew into their driveways, yards and streets. Since then, the city has had ongoing discussions with Bethel Assembly of God, which owns the land, as well as the farmer who leases the land from the church. 

The city’s review determined that the issue does not properly fall into enforcement under the Planning and Zoning Code. It also does not fall under the General Offense Code Section 660.14, which discusses noxious weeds per the Ohio Revised Code; and invasive plants per ODNR; and grass that is over eight inches high that is growing on land in the city. Unfortunately, Foxtail Barley is not listed on the ORC’s noxious weed list nor is it listed on the ODNR’s invasive plant list. It is also not "grass growing more than 8 inches tall." 

The city’s investigation revealed that part of the cause of the problem was that the field was not sprayed this year due to the wet spring, and that the problem was made worse due to a dry spell after the beans were planted. The dry spell slowed the growth of the beans, which prevented them from growing large enough to crowd out the weeds. 

Local farmers who the city reached out to for insight and guidance indicated that spraying the field will not help since the Foxtail Barley is already dead and dropping its seeds. They also strongly advised not to mow or knock down the weeds because seeds will again become airborne. 

To help alleviate the Foxtail Barley seeds from blowing into nearby yards, the church has installed 400 feet of silt fencing. The city also sent a street sweeper through the neighborhood to clean up what was on the roads. 

The farmer plans on turning the ground over this fall after the beans are harvested and said he will spray the field next spring. The pastor indicated that he and the farmer want to be good neighbors and will do everything they can to prevent this from happening in the future. 

In the meantime, the law director has reviewed the city’s code to see what, if anything, can be done. It has been determined that the best course of action is for the mayor to send a request to the Director of Agriculture that Foxtail Barley be added to the noxious weeds list. Mayor Tom Mackin has written a letter and it has been sent to the Director of Agriculture making this request. The letter can be viewed here.

Perrysburg City Council voted at its July 19, 2022 meeting to pass a resolution requesting that the Director of Agriculture to re-evaluate the status of Foxtail Barley as a noxious or invasive weed in the state of Ohio. You can view that resolution here.

UPDATE 7/21/22 - Mayor Tom Mackin received a letter back from the Director of Agriculture. You can view that here.