Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs weed specialist Mike Cowbrough used to carry five or six scouting and management guides when he headed out to scout fields. Those days are gone. Now he just reaches into his pocket, pulls out his smart phone and opens his Pest Manager App.
The Pest Manager app, which was launched in 2015, has become a one-stop-shop resource for many agronomists and farmers because of its extensive pesticide information library and its ability to help identify pests and quickly provide management options.
“One of the challenges we have with weed management and insect and disease control is that there are so many options,” says Cowbrough. “When the Guide to Weed Control first came out it was a seven page pamphlet; it’s now a book with over 500 pages. But in a few minutes with Pest Manager at their fingertips, farmers can quickly identify a pest, consult the library for recommended pesticides and rates, and also check out integrated pest management strategies.
In this video, Cowbrough demonstrates how farmers can use Pest Manager to quickly identify a weed like chickweed and identify control and management options.
