Alberta’s long-time insect management specialist and bug counter, Scott Meers, announced his resignation from Alberta Agriculture last week.
The news caused ripples among farmers who frequently use the insect identification skills and insect pest predictions for which Meers is well known.
However, Meers said in his notice that he and his wife, Cindy, will do crop scouting and consulting as an independent business and he will continue to answer insect questions.
His Twitter account, @ABbugcounter, is not associated with government and will remain active.
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“This has not been an easy decision. My time in this role has been immensely satisfying and I feel the program has greatly benefitted the agriculture industry. It has been a honor to work in this role and with so many dedicated people of this industry like yourselves but it is time to move on. I have made this decision independent of the cutbacks and government layoffs,” Meers said in his announcement.
The latter comment relates to the layoffs of about 50 people in the agriculture department in December and assumptions that further layoffs are forthcoming in spring.
Don Shepert, chair of Alberta Pulse Growers, said Meers will be missed.
He said Meers was the first person from the provincial government to effectively use Twitter, allowing him to reach more farmers than before. He hosted weekly bug chats with producers to discuss any top-of-mind issues.
“I really respect him for connecting with us online. It allowed him to reach young guys and old guys,” Shepert said. “He used Twitter as a way of disseminating education, and we all needed that.”
Jason Lenz, a director with Alberta Barley, said there aren’t too many people with the same experience as Meers.
“Any time you lose someone that’s been in the industry that long, it’s going to be a loss,” Lenz said. “His high level of expertise in identifying bugs, different flies and wasps was greatly appreciated by farmers.”
Lenz said he believes the crop commissions will push the provincial government to hire someone to take Meer’s place, though those discussions haven’t happened yet.
It isn’t clear whether the government will fill the vacant post.
Dave Corry, a regional sales representative with ATP Nutrition, said he has numerous fond memories of working with Meers and it will be difficult for someone to fill his shoes.
“He is that special person with so much knowledge and willingness to share and disperse that knowledge,” Corry said.
Added Lenz: “His years of knowledge, knowing that certain factors could lead to a grasshopper influx, for example, is something us farmers don’t keep track of. Having him feed that information to us is extremely valuable.”
