Ag realtors offered noxious weed education online course

MSU News Service

BOZEMAN — The Montana Noxious Weed Education Campaign, a cooperative effort that includes the Montana Department of Agriculture and Montana State University, has a new noxious weed online training course for realtors.

Noxious weeds can impair wildlife habitat, increase erosion, impact hydrologic cycles and reduce productivity on farms and ranches.

The course, which costs $15.95 but will be free to the first 50 registrants, will equip realtors with a broad understanding of noxious weeds, including noxious weed impacts, identification, law and integrated management techniques. Some basic knowledge can help realtors direct both buyers and sellers to tools and resources for appropriately managing noxious weeds and encouraging desired vegetation that meets their land use objectives.

The course consists of five parts: “Noxious Weeds 101,” “Plant Anatomy and Identification,” “Noxious Weed Identification,” “Understanding Montana County Noxious Weed Control Act,” and “Integrated Weed Management.”

The course is certified through the Association for Real Estate License Law Officials and the Montana Board of Realty Regulation, and it is approved for four continuing education credits in the Environmental Issues category. The Montana Noxious Weed Education Campaign is a cooperative effort among state and federal entities, as well as non-governmental organizations, that educates the people of Montana about noxious weeds and encourages them to participate in integrated weed management. 

To register for this course, people can go online to http://MNWECRealtorTrainingSeries.digitalchalk.com. Use the code: MNWEC2016 to register for the course at no charge.