Ontario farmers asked to identify the 5 worst weeds in their fields

Gardeners will definitely have strong opinions on this, but it is farmers and other agricultural professionals whose are opinions are being sought.

Some researchers at the University of Guelph's Ridgetown campus want Ontario farmers to identify the five worst weeds cropping up in their fields, as part of an ongoing survey.

Dave Bilyea, a weed science technician, said the goal is to get a sense of what the agricultural community sees as the worst weeds it is encountering.

"We've launched this thing since just after the new year and we're starting to get input on it," Bilyea recently told CBC Radio's Afternoon Drive.

To date, Bilyea said the top five most detested weeds are:

• Canada Fleabane
• Lamb's Quarters
• Common Ragweed
• Eastern Black Nightshade
• Pigweeds

Bilyea said a similar effort in 2007 produced a list with a few surprises for the researchers.

"Some of the weeds that we thought may not have been that problematic didn't show up on the list quite high," he said.

This time around, Bilyea said the researchers believe they'll be able to survey a wider group of people by promoting the survey across social media platforms.