Noxious urban weed affecting nearby farms

A pretty weed known as scentless chamomile is popping up around Edmonton and Alberta Agriculture officials are asking urban dwellers to get rid of it.

The weed looks like a daisy but has fern-like leaves. Each plant can produce up to 300,000 seeds and choke out entire fields.

City officials say they try to control it with mowing and spraying. They don't believe it will spread easily to rural areas because the seeds aren't airborne.

But Shaffeek Ali, with Alberta Agriculture, says this weed can move from city to field by in a variety of ways.

Ali says scentless chamomile is already taking over many fields in Alberta and it's costing farmers.

He says people need to pick the weed and destroy it.

Property owners, by law, are required to control scentless chamomile. If they don't, weed inspectors can get rid of scentless chamomile themselves, and send a bill to the owner.