Nature or nurture? The new, improved kochia

Recently I have been rethinking my personal war against kochia, a common noxious weed, otherwise known as tumbleweed, romanced in song by the Sons of the Pioneers, engraved in our western history by Zane Gray. One day the thought tumbled into my head, at that moment vacant and dreamy, that nobody ever wins a war. How true, I thought. So why do I stand out in the blazing sun, my hands encased in protective gloves, ripping kochia up by the roots? Oh, my aching back!

Sondra Ashton

Year after year, since I moved back to the Milk River Valley, I have, armed with spades, hoes, poison and my own two...