1. Network detail
2. Survey

Pacific Northwest Pest Alert Network email subscribers can assess its effectiveness and suggest changes by completing an online survey available through Jan. 17.

The alerts detail the new presence of pests and diseases. Some notify subscribers about monitoring and control efforts as well as upcoming presentations about research and other developments.

The voluntary survey is at pnwpestalert.net.

Questions address whether the alerts help growers, field advisers and others control pest and disease pressure sooner and more effectively, said Ruth Givens, horticulture assistant with University of Idaho Canyon County Extension in Caldwell.

For example, “if something bad is going on, does knowing about it as soon as possible help prevent or reduce crop loss?” she said.

The survey also aims to find out if the alerts and recommendations help growers apply chemicals in ideal, precise volumes when needed — possibly reducing overall usage, Givens said.

It asks subscribers about their role in agriculture and how they have used alerts and other network information in the past year. Other questions ask what crops in which the subscriber has an interest, and how he or she uses or shares recommendations included in an alert or supporting information. Participants are asked to describe what they learn from the network and how it could be improved.

The survey is conducted by Givens and Ronda Hirnyck, UI Extension pesticide educator in Boise. Givens has been managing the network since Jerry Neufeld, longtime UI Extension educator in Caldwell, retired in late October.

The network has well over 1,000 email subscribers including farmers, crop advisers, landscapers and gardeners, university extension educators and media representatives.

The Pest Alert Network is a project of UI Extension, Oregon State University and Idaho Master Gardeners. It aims to notify farmers, gardeners and landscapers about insects and diseases. The alerts and support information also advise subscribers on how to best monitor their growing areas and to best time preventative measures.

Annual surveys aim to determine how helpful the network is and to identify potential improvements, Givens said. Data will be used to make improvements and to provide information to USDA, the network’s primary funding source.

The survey available now focuses on the farming community. A survey of landscaper and gardener subscribers was completed recently.