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Producers Are the Heart of Saskatchewan’s Pest Surveillance Program

Brittany Compton, Communications Consultant, Regina

As the weather warms and early sunlight catches young sprouts in fields throughout the province, there is a bright promise of the season ahead.

Producers in Saskatchewan know that promise comes with risk. Every year brings something new—more flea beetles than expected, a patch of blackleg discovered too late, a whisper from neighbours about a pest no one had seen before. Across the province, stories like this have become more common as pest populations vary with environmental conditions, or novel problems are detected.

That’s why the Ministry of Agriculture and its partners have built a monitoring network with a clear mission: identify insects, diseases and weeds before they become serious threats and assess the status of established pests. The data collected supports forecast maps, research and early detection of new or emerging issues, giving producers the information they need throughout the year.

What makes Saskatchewan’s pest surveillance program so effective is the network behind it. Ministry staff, researchers, agronomists and volunteers work together to collect field samples, track pest populations and build forecast maps to help producers make informed decisions. But the backbone of the entire effort is producers who open their gates and allow surveyors access to their land— producers like Mary-Jane Duncan-Eger.

Duncan-Eger, a crop producer near Regina, has been part of the pest surveillance program for years. She understands the value of the program and how it supports not only her operation but her neighbours’ as well.

A grasshopper on a leaf
Migratory grasshopper

“More information is always better,” Duncan-Eger said as she explained the benefits of being part of the program. “It’s like having an extra set of eyes in the field helping you plan for the next growing season.”

Duncan-Eger knows that early detection is the difference between a strong harvest and a season of losses. Working with the monitoring team has helped her anticipate problems rather than react to them.

“The biggest benefit is having an extra set of eyes on my fields,” she said “The monitoring team keeps me updated throughout the season about where they’re sampling, what they’re finding and how it compares to what I’m seeing in my fields. Their timing is always helpful, giving me that extra verification I need. The program also helps me plan for next year, like knowing what showed up in our canola so I can choose the right varieties moving forward.”

Becoming part of Saskatchewan’s pest surveillance network is quick and easy. Sign up online using the province’s short consent form. It only takes a minute or two. Provide your contact info, rural municipality (RM) and crop rotation details so teams can plan their surveys effectively. That’s it and your fields can now contribute to a province‑wide effort supporting better decisions and better protection for all.

“It’s a very low-risk program and the extra knowledge you gain is invaluable,” Duncan-Eger said. “Your information stays private and the updates they share with producers really make it worth signing up.”

Every field added to the network strengthens the province’s ability to detect emerging pests, track invasive and established pests, and support research that shapes future agricultural policy and practice.

We all know that agriculture is a shared endeavor and that the health of one farm affects the health of many. The data collected doesn’t just help individual growers, it supports trade discussions, informs long-term research and builds a historical record of pest pressures that future generations will rely on.

“Sharing what’s found in my fields helps the whole province,” Duncan-Eger added. “When results are published on a provincial scale, everyone benefits. If there’s a hotspot in the RM, we all know to keep a closer eye on our crops.”

Because on the prairies, the best defense has always been a community that looks out for one another—and for the land that supports them.

If you want to protect your crops, strengthen the province’s agricultural resilience and contribute to a program that benefits every producer in Saskatchewan, contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377 or email ag.info@gov.sk.ca.