Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Identification tool helps rid stored grain of pests

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

by MATT MCINTOSH

A new, free-to-use online identification tool from the Canadian Grain Commission could help farmers deal with pests in stored grain more effectively.

Available from the commission's website, the insect identification key relies on images and word descriptions to help producers narrow down what pest, or pests, are currently infesting their stored grain.

Determining what pests are present in their grain, the commission says, helps producers make better and more appropriate management decisions.

The pest identification tool has been available online since October 2, but Brent Elliott, infestation control and sanitation officer at the commission, says it has been in the works for some time.

"An identification tool is something that is very common in the scientific world," says Elliott. And we thought that grain farmers might be able to use that kind of thing too."

The tool works by comparing two images and their respective descriptions. The user chooses which picture and description best matches the pest they have, then the process repeats with more specific information. This continues until an answer is found.

According to Elliot, the key was designed to be user friendly in order to help alleviate some of the difficulties associated with pest identification.

"Many of the pests in the database are extremely small, so identification can be quite difficult without a bit of magnification," says Elliot. "The rusty grain beetle, for instance, makes up about 90 per cent of the pests we see, but they're only about two millimeters long."

According to commission's website, properly identifying pests is much easier if the user has some knowledge of insect body structure. BF

Current Issue

October 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Shell Rotella’s SuperTractors competition

Friday, September 26, 2025

Farmers put in long hours and endless dedication to feed and support their communities, and Shell Rotella is proud to spotlight these farmers with the fifth annual competition. Coinciding with —Sunday, October 12, 2025—the virtual event invites farmers across North America to share... Read this article online

Save Time and Costs with the Portable MiniCombine

Friday, September 26, 2025

MiniCombine Delivers Fast and Accurate Grain Sampling The MiniCombine is a portable, fully self-contained electric unit designed to simplify grain sampling with speed and precision. Suitable for a wide range of crops including wheat, barley, sorghum, oats, soybeans, peas, field beans,... Read this article online

IPM Plowing Match Winners Celebrated

Friday, September 26, 2025

Congratulations to Robert Daniels, of Berwick, Nova Scotia on winning the IPM Champion Horse Plow Person Award with 459 points; Kim Hadwen, Belleville, was the reserve. Congratulation as well to Brian Davenport from Owen Soundwho is the winner of the IPM Champion Tractor Award with 570.5... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top