News
Prairie pest monitoring network up and running

June 5, 2013, Saskatoon, SK - The Insect Pest Monitoring Network is a prairie-wide, coordinated insect monitoring program designed to keep the Canadian agriculture industry informed of the risks to crop production from pest species and to highlight and conserve their natural enemies.

When insect pest outbreaks occur in one area their impact may eventually be felt across a much larger region. A prairie-wide monitoring program is vital to keeping the agriculture industry informed of the risk to crop production from insect pests.

• Developing, compiling and updating insect monitoring protocols to ensure a 'best practice' approach in relation to pest surveying conducted across the prairies.
• Forecasting and issuing risk warnings as pest issues arise.
• Providing weekly pest and crop updates electronically to industry.
• Generating timely risk warnings in map format (i.e., prairie-wide, provincial and regional) accompanied by interpretive text for use by farmers, extension personnel, pesticide applicators and pesticide manufacturers.
• Monitoring and quantifying risk associated with potential, new invasive species for Canada and their parasitoids.

The Network is supported by the following partners:

• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• AAFC – Pest Management Centre
• AAFC – Matching Investment Initiative
• Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
• Alberta Canola Producers Commission
• BC Grain Producers Association
• Canola Council of Canada
• Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives
• Manitoba Canola Growers Association
• Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
• Saskatchewan Crop Insurance
• SaskCanola
• University of Alberta
• Western Grains Research Foundation

To view weekly updates visit www.westernforum.org/IPMNWeeklyUpdates.html.

June 5, 2013  By Top Crop Manager