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Massachusetts Department of Agriculture may have a qualified weed 

 control law and receive full benefits of the Act. 



It has been estimated that weeds, by limiting yields and 

 impairing quality, reduce potential agricultural productivity by 

 about y/a each year. We have other losses by weeds including 

 human discomfort from weed pollens and poisonous plants, streams 

 clogged by weeds and made useless for boating and fishing, water 

 wasted by aquatic plants, and scenic values impaired by unattractive 

 vegetation. 



In addition, weed control is a major item in farm production 

 costs and may be a source of contamination to the environment. 

 Nationally, our farmers spend an estin:ated ,^2,5OO,O00,C0C ir. 

 fighting weeds each year, in contrast v/i-h $430,000,000 in 



by plant diseases. 



Effective weed control is an essential factor in cur efficient 

 production of food and fiber to meet our domestic needs. Agriculture 

 faces a tremendous challenge in meeting future demands for food 

 and fiber, for our own people and for export. Every opportunity 

 for increasing agricultural productivity, including weed control, 

 must be exploited. 



An effective State weed control law will provide us with the 

 necessary means to carry out a program to control weeds that the 

 public expects. 



No. 5 - AN ACT ESTABLISHING A DIVISION OF POULTRY AND POULTRY 

 PRODUCTS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



