With the hot weather that farmers have been seeing, several pests are thriving and multiplying in and around water sources. Lloyd Knight is the Administrator for the Division of Plant Industries with the Idaho Department of Agriculture, he says it’s important that farmers watch for any unique plant or insect life to make sure a bigger problem doesn’t show up.
He notes that if you see something in an irrigation channel or on your property that doesn’t look right or you have not seen it before, it’s best to contact your local extension for assistance. He says when issues aren’t addressed, that’s when real problems start to develop.
“We have a lot of high-value crops really throughout the spectrum of our agricultural industry across the Pacific Northwest that really rely on us continuing to be a clean source of everything from seed to the commodities themselves that head overseas,” Knight said. “We need to know about these things so we can get them addressed, so we can keep those markets open because those markets are what keep our Ag industry alive and well in Idaho and the rest of the Northwest.”
Knight adds boat inspections become very important with this extremely hot weather. So, recreational boaters are asked to inspect their boats when leaving the water and watch for boat inspection stops across the country.
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