A computer software program can help farmers keep up with new crop protection products registered each year and to plan a pest control program.
The Prairie Crop Protection Planner is designed to complement the Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta Crop Protection Guides. A guide for each province is included with each program ordered.
The planner was developed by the University of Saskatchewan and the agriculture departments of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.
It is more than a computerized version of the crop protection guide. It’s a selector program that sorts through product information and gives a list of product options that fit your needs.
Read Also
Increasing farmland prices blamed on investors
a major tax and financial services firm says investors are driving up the value of farmland, preventing young farmers from entering the business. Robert Andjelic said that is bullshit.
Farmers tell the program which crops to treat and which weeds, diseases, or insects are a problem and the program does the rest.
Detailed product information is available, such as data on herbicide groups, a complete listing of the weeds controlled, as well as varietal and recropping restrictions that help narrow the list.
Price information is updated yearly.
Farmers choose the product, provide details on the sprayer and size of fields and the program calculates the amount of chemical needed per tank and the amount needed to spray a field.
The program also has a record keeping component that tracks the pesticides used on each field and a notes section reminds growers how each product performed.
It analyzes herbicide rotations and automatically flags a warning in cases where farmers have been relying too heavily on the same herbicide groups.
The package comes in two parts, an early version of the program in late winter and an updated version with the latest product registrations and pricing changes in late spring.
The software was available last year on a three-inch disk. This year it will come out on CD ROM and will have more information, including photos to help producers identify problem weeds. Program support is available by phone and by e-mail.
For more information, call 306-966-5592. Order the program by calling 306-966-5565.
