Crop pest control important

By Simmons, Garrett on January 23, 2014.

Garrett Simmons

lethbridge herald

gsimmons@lethbridgeherald.com

Theyre called pests for a reason.

This week at the Irrigated Crop Production 2014 conference in Lethbridge, southern Alberta agricultural producers and local crop experts were asked to lend a hand to the provinces task of monitoring the insects which negatively impact crop production.

Scott Meers, an insect management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, said 8,000 field visits are conducted each year and many of them are done on a random basis.

We want pre-selected, pre-approved fields, said Meers, who added there is some understandable concerns on the part of farmers when researchers arrive unannounced The information will only be used for insect surveys. We want to control the types of fields we go into so the surveys have more impact and theyre more powerful.

Farmers interested in having their land visited will be asked to provide some information and sign up. Meers added that is just one way his department is looking to track insect movement and development. Self-checking fields and calling the Alberta Pest Surveillance System at 310-2777 is another way, as Meers also encouraged local experts to aid the cause.

If each agrologist did one field a day, wed have a great picture of what is happening here in southern Alberta. It would really help fill in the picture.

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Crop pest control important