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COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Bringing the University to You Fact Sheet 98-48 Forage Kochia Roby Kettle, Extension Educator, Humboldt County Jay Davison, Plant and Soil Specialist, Central Area "Immigrant" forage kochia (Kochia prostrata) has had much publicity in recent years. Its name "Immigrant" forage kochia lends itself to much misunderstanding about the plant. The word immigrant implies to many people that the plant is one that spreads rapidly. The most common fallacy is that it is an invasive, aggressive invader like annual kochia (Kochia scoparia) that invades croplands, roadsides, and disturbed sites throughout the United States. Nevada has several million acres of rangeland that is dominated by cheatgrass and other annuals. This acreage is expanding every year with the major contributing factor being rangeland wildfires. Many rangeland managers thought that if given time and protection from grazing, native grasses would again dominate cheatgrass infested ranges. However, on low elevation rangelands (that comprised of Wyoming big sage before burning), cheatgrass has remained the dominant plant. Forage kochia can be an important tool for competing with cheatgrass, providing forage and habitat diversity for wildlife and livestock, and helping to control fire. Forage Kochia or Annual Kochia Despite the positive beneficial impacts of forage kochia, many people are skeptical, fearing that forage kochia will be similar to annual kochia. There are some key differences between forage kochia and annual kochia: Forage Kochia 1. Belongs to a group of plants that consist of many valuable arid and rangeland species like saltbush, and winter fat. 2. Is a perennial shrub. 3. Does not establish in a site unless specifically planted, with little to no movement outside of the area of establishment (Clements 1997). 4. Is readily consumed by livestock and wildlife.