Berry field services, Scouting for Spotted Wing Drosophila

Berry Field Services

Special scouting and alerts for Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) will be offered in 2010. SWD is a fruit fly that poses a major threat to northwest berries. We are developing a public SWD site for scouting data and reports that is currently only operatonal for data collection. The data will come from scouts throughout the northwest, and the we are currently working on ways anyone can see the data in chart form.

Regular Field Scouting is at the heart of our berry field services. It is done by a scout trained in the Peerbolt Crop Management (PCM) protocols for discovering what the pest levels and crop conditions are at a particular moment. That information is transferred to PCM through the Ag Reports, an online program developed by PCM for this purpose. Tom Peerbolt and Julie Pond see the information within 12-24 hours of the scout's visit, and they send immediate recommendations by email to the growers who have contracted for the service. We have a demo of the program that can be seen by using the user name: jsmith and the password: demo.

Growers who get regular field scouting benefit because the field visits and recommendations offer them an objective appraisal of their fields and pest conditions. Using this information the grower makes an informed decision on management options.

Additional benefits to scouting services include:
• An alert system so that, if the scout reports any conditions that requires immediate attention, you will be notified by phone and then by email.
• Scouting reports that can be use to track pest levels and treatment effects. These can also be used to verify to public agencies and customers that Integrated Pest Management strategies are being employed.
• Having the assurance that, when you're in the middle of a busy season and might not have time to be checking your fields, someone is keeping an eye on pest levels.
• Increased knowledge of the lifecycles and yearly patterns of the various insects (both good and bad) and fungal diseases that influence the quality and quantity of your production.

Pricing: Regular field scouting is offered during the season and it is based on the number of estimated visits, location of the fields, and type of crop. An average cost per field is $60. Give us a call at 503-289-7287 to discuss how many visits you will need in a season or whether the annual service would be right for you.

Sampling and analysis : This includes taking the tests, getting them to the lab, and giving you an analysis of the test results, plus recommendations to restore your field to a healthy state.
• Soil Sampling & Analysis
• Tissue Sampling & Analysis
• Nematode Sampling & Analysis
• Disease Sampling & Analysis
Call us at 503-289-7287 to schedule a test and discuss an estimate of charges.

Hourly consulting
The 2010 charge for hourly consulting is $110.00 per hour.