Provincial pest control program to be administered by PCAB

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

The Provincial Council of Agriculture Development and Diversification (ADD) Boards for Saskatchewan Inc., or PCAB, will be given responsibility for administering pest control efforts across the province under a new arrangement with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food (SAF).

The “Fieldworker Program,” a co-ordinated pest control effort, began in Saskatchewan in 1972. Grants were provided to ADD Boards and rural municipalities, which worked together to organize control initiatives at the local level. Pest Control Officers (PCOs) were employed by the ADD Boards and RMs to deliver services on the ground and to help property owners develop effective control methods.

As the provincial body representing ADD Boards, PCAB has long played an important role in program delivery, maintaining Pest Control Co-ordinators who focused on creating a more uniform pest control initiative across the province.

For its part, SAF administered the Fieldworker Program, including the designation of grants. However, in order to facilitate improved program delivery, streamline the funding process, and encourage education and awareness, SAF has now given PCAB the opportunity to take over the management of the entire initiative.

According to Tracy Wickstrom, PCAB’s Pest Control Co-ordinator, the move will allow the Council to establish a better line of communication with ADD Boards, RMs and PCOs without disrupting the delivery of a program that has been very beneficial across the province.

“PCAB will handle both administration and delivery, rather than them being separated,” she said. “From the average producer’s perspective, they won’t notice a big change in how the program is delivered. They will still look to their local Pest Control Officers as their primary point of contact.

“What it will do is change the contact between the ADD Boards or RMs and SAF. Basically, their project applications will no longer be going to SAF, they will be coming directly to PCAB.”

Wickstrom expects the streamlining will hold a number of benefits for overall pest control efforts in Saskatchewan, simplifying the process and reducing the number of channels through which program stakeholders need to navigate.

“It facilitates our communication amongst our ADD Boards and PCOs as to the efforts they’re undertaking, and enables us to be in better contact with them on a regular basis about their programs and their needs,” she stated.

PCAB is a non-profit agriculture organization that focuses on timely, effective delivery of agriculture programs to Saskatchewan producers. It is committed to working with both government and industry to ensure a co-operative, efficient approach to agricultural program delivery.

PCAB is the provincial level of the ADD system. Each of the 296 RMs in Saskatchewan has an ADD Committee, from which a delegate is selected to serve on one of 41 District ADD Boards. Each District is then represented on one of six Regional Councils. PCAB’s board of directors consists of two delegates chosen from each Regional Council. This structure ensures a strong connection to grassroots agriculture.

For more information on the organization or provincial pest control efforts, please visit www.saskpcab.com, or call (306) 955-5477.

For more information, contact:
Tracy Wickstrom, Pest Control Co-ordinator
Provincial Council of Agriculture Development and Diversification Boards
Phone: (306) 955-5477
E-mail: farmstewardship@saskpcab.com