This year will be our lab’s 20th annual canola survey! It will be my 10th canola survey – helping out from start to finish. As you may have seen, our survey will be a little different this year. We are now required to obtain written permission prior to entering any fields. If you are a producer in the Peace River region, then hopefully we have already chatted on the phone with you! If not, you can contact us so that we can sample your fields!
Historically, we have sampled fields randomly, stopping at a canola field in early flower every 10 km along pre-designated routes. This provided us with a truly random, representative sample of insect populations in the Peace River region. Randomly sampling is very important to the accuracy and quality of information gathered during the survey. We are hoping to have enough fields in the system this year that we can select “randomly” from fields we have on file.
Figure 1. Amanda Jorgensen sweep sampling a
canola field (2014). Photo credit: Kate Freeman-AAFC Beaverlodge.
Our lab has been very fortunate to have received a great
reception for our canola survey! In the 10 years I have worked on the survey, I
am one of the only staff members to encounter a producer who was concerned to
see us in their field. Many years ago, a producer pulled up as we finished sweeping,
which isn’t unusual. What was unusual was their concern at finding a blue van
parked in their pull-in. After my teammate and I explained a bit about the
survey and showed the insects in our net, we ended up having a positive conversation! It
turned out that teenagers had been causing havoc out in their fields the night
before, so their initial concern was completely understandable! It was a great
learning experience for me, and I feel fortunate that we had the chance to
build a good relationship with this producer. Our lab has worked hard to
develop strong relationships with field crop producers in our area – and we
hope that if we haven’t worked with you yet, we can work together soon!
Author: Amanda Jorgensen