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March 25, 2005
Caldwell, Idaho
When agricultural producers in the Treasure Valley and
potato growers statewide come home and fire up their office
computers, they can find messages alerting them to pest
problems arising-or poised to arise-in their areas. Now in
its fifth year, the Pacific Northwest Pest Alert Network
sends e-mail to subscribers and posts information on its Web
site that helps growers time their pest management
treatments and minimize their pesticide use.
Jerry Neufeld, University of
Idaho Extension educator in Canyon County and
PNWPestAlert
coordinator, says a 2004 survey indicates that subscribers
"are more informed, doing more field scouting, only spraying
when they need to and using a little less chemical." Indeed,
60 percent of subscribers said they had increased their
field scouting as a result of receiving alerts and more than
98 percent rated the service as useful to them or their
organizations.
The Web site had 366
subscribers and nearly 25,000 visits in 2004. Producers can
subscribe at any time by clicking on
www.PNWPestAlert.net
and selecting Join Mail Lists. They can also report any pest
outbreaks they spot in their fields, which will be verified
by University of Idaho or Oregon State University Extension
faculty before being posted. In addition, the site includes
extensive information on pests and pest management.
First launched in 2001 in
western Idaho and eastern Oregon as the Treasure Valley Pest
Alert Network, the service was extended to include potato
growers throughout southern Idaho last year. Jeff Miller, UI
Extension potato pathologist at Aberdeen, says participating
growers saved on insecticides and preventive fungicides by
timing more precisely their chemical applications for green
peach aphids, late blight and pink rot. "When our computer
model predicted late blight, we sent out an alert and late
blight was actually found one week later," he says. "Some
growers felt they were able to get fungicide on right when
they needed it."
"It's another source of
information they have at their fingertips," Miller says. "In
our current economy, every single penny counts and one way
that growers have of saving money is to improve the timing
of their pesticide applications."
The Extension team responsible
for www.PNWPestAlert.net welcomes feedback. "Call us and
tell us how we can improve the service," Miller says.
This year's sponsors include
the Idaho Alfalfa and Clover Seed Commission, the Idaho
Potato Commission and the Idaho sugarbeet industry.
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