2
CapitalPress.com
Friday, May 21, 2021
People & Places
Artificial intelligence IDs insects
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
Artificial
intelligence
promises to make identifying
insects faster and easier, the
University of Idaho’s Marek
Borowiec and his research
teammates believe.
USDA’s National Insti-
tute of Food and Agriculture
agreed. In April, the institute
awarded Borowiec’s team a
Cyberinformatics Tools grant
for $499,500.
The project, aimed at har-
nessing artificial intelligence
to identify insects, will aid
integrated pest management
in small-grain production.
“The motivation here is
essentially to make the pro-
cess a little bit more effi-
cient and easier for growers,
and potentially the exten-
sion researcher or educator,”
Borowiec said. “We want to
come up with a system that
will assist in identifying, cor-
rectly documenting and shar-
ing information about pests.”
Successful IPM hinges on
correct insect identification.
But since it requires time
and expertise, many growers
forgo it and apply pesticides
unnecessarily.
Immediate insect identi-
fication and classification is
one element of the planned
system. Information shar-
ing via a free mobile app
is another. It will focus on
the Inland Northwest but
be designed so it can be
extended to other regions.
Borowiec, an assistant
professor of entomology,
plant pathology and nema-
tology, said growers would
immediately be able to see
the correctly identified insect,
EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER
Established 1928
Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Anne Long ................Advertising Manager
Western
Innovator
MAREK
BOROWIEC
Title: Assistant professor,
entomology, plant pa-
thology and nematology,
University of Idaho.
Education: Bachelor’s
and master’s degrees,
University of Wroclaw,
Poland; Ph.D., University
of California-Davis.
Age: 36
Courtesy of Aryn Baxter
Marek Borowiec is working on a new system that will allow farmers to quickly and
easily identify insects.
follow what other farmers in
their region are experiencing,
access online resources and
connect with specialists.
Now, when they see an
unfamiliar insect on a crop
they have to contact a univer-
sity extension agent or other
researcher. He said smart-
phones, online alert networks
and information portals help
but require identification,
documentation and other
steps that can take time.
The artificial intelligence
is “basically the capacity to
attach a certain name or clas-
sification to a photograph,”
feasible for computers only
in the past four to five years.
The problem is complex
since a photo includes many
variables, ranging from
angle and background to the
subject’s size, position and
distance.
Researchers will collect
images of insects on cere-
als and legumes. The images
will be used to “train” an arti-
ficial-intelligence algorithm.
For example, photos of
cereal grass aphids — an
important emerging pest,
Borowiec said — and the
English grain aphid were
used to “train” a preliminary
version.
“You have to have lots
of examples of these pests
in photos so it can learn the
important features,” he said.
Later in the four-year
project, researchers will
design the free identification
and analysis tool, get feed-
back from stakeholders and
work on improvements.
“On a parallel track, we
plan to collect more data and
more images to make the ID
algorithm work better and
make the interface friendly to
users,” Borowiec said.
An advisory board to
include cereal crop grow-
ers and possibly commodity
commission representatives
is planned.
The system “has the
potential of being as accu-
rate or more accurate than a
human expert, with a fraction
of the time needed for mak-
ing a determination,” he said.
It aims to enable farmers to
Hometown: Moscow,
Idaho.
Family: Engaged to Aryn
Baxter, lecturer on edu-
cation in leadership for
organizations, University
of Dayton.
Hobbies: Outdoor activi-
ties including hiking, trail
running, skiing.
Research team: Arash
Rashed, Sanford
Eigenbrode and Lucas
Sheneman, and postdoc-
toral researcher Subodh
Adhikari.
Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor
Jessica Boone ............ Production Manager
Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager
Entire contents copyright © 2021
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is
published weekly by EO Media Group,
2870 Broadway NE, Salem OR 97303.
Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR,
and at additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: send address changes to
Capital Press, P.O. Box 2048 Salem, OR
97308-2048.
To Reach Us
Circulation ...........................800-781-3214
Email ........... Circulation@capitalpress.com
Main line .............................503-364-4431
News Staff
Idaho
Carol Ryan Dumas ..............208-860-3898
Boise
Brad Carlson .......................208-914-8264
more quickly optimize pesti-
cide management decisions.
“The idea is to not have
to work as hard to improve
your decision process, be
more likely to make a good
decision, and even save some
money,” he said.
Western Washington
Don Jenkins .........................360-722-6975
Eastern Washington
Matthew Weaver ................509-688-9923
Oregon
George Plaven ....................406-560-1655
Mateusz Perkowski .............800-882-6789
Sierra Dawn McClain ..........503-506-8011
Designer
Shovels in hand, students learn about reforestation
Randy Wrighthouse .............800-882-6789
To Place Classified Ads
By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
Telephone (toll free) ............800-882-6789
Online ...........CapitalPress.com/classifieds
GLIDE, Ore. — In an
outdoor classroom, the sub-
jects were forestry manage-
ment, the impact of wildfires,
recovery plans following a
fire and reforestation.
Forty students from Glide
and South Umpqua high
schools listened to the pre-
sentations from public and
private forestry officials on
a recent morning as they
stood in a blackened land-
scape. The site was northeast
of Glide on Bureau of Land
Management land that had
been severely burned during
the Archie Creek Fire that
torched 131,542 acres last
September.
After the presentations, the
students went to work plant-
ing Douglas fir and sugar
pine seedlings. Cody Trent
and Paul Kercher, Glide High
freshmen, estimated they
planted 36 seedlings as they
climbed a mountainside.
“It’s been a fun day,” Trent
said. “I’m glad I was able
to come out here and help.
When I go to sleep tonight,
I’ll know I did something
special today.”
Marlee Rogers and Angel-
ica Navalta, South Umpqua
freshmen, worked in a group
of four.
“Seeing this is sad,” Rog-
ers said of the blackened
terrain.
“Being out here shows
how we can help,” Navalta
said. “It feels great to help
our environment. It makes
me proud to be part of the
recovery.”
Communities for Healthy
Forests, a nonprofit organi-
zation, has been coordinating
Subscriptions
Mail rates paid in advance
Easy Pay U.S. $4 /month
(direct withdrawal from bank
or credit card account)
1 year U.S. ...........................................$55
2 years U.S. ........................................$100
1 year Canada .....................................$275
1 year other countries ...........call for quote
1 year Internet only .........................$49.99
1 year 4-H, FFA students/teachers .......$30
9 months 4-H, FFA students/teachers ..$25
Visa and Mastercard accepted
Craig Reed/For the Capital Press
Cheyne Rossbach, assistant field manager for the Bureau of Land Management, talks to students about forest
management and recovery after a wildfire at a BLM site that was burned during the Archie Creek Fire in Septem-
ber. The students listened to several forestry officials about forest and fire before getting the experience of plant-
ing seedlings in the burned area.
seedling planting field trips for
students for about 15 years.
The Bureau of Land Manage-
ment, the U.S. Forest Service,
Lone Rock Timber and the
Society of American Foresters
also helped with the event.
The mission of CHF, a
Roseburg, Ore.-based group,
is to inform the public and
policy makers with facts
supporting both pre- and
post-forest management in
regards to wildfire.
“We hope to broaden
the understanding of young
people in the causes and
the opportunities to medi-
ate through pre-fire manage-
ment and post-fire manage-
ment in regards to the impact
of wildfire,” said Doug Rob-
ertson, CHF’s executive
director. “Today, the empha-
sis was on post-fire recovery.
What they did today was on
a small scale, but to talk to
them about reforestation in
a highly severe burn area is
important.”
Robertson explained to the
students that it would be gen-
erations before any meaning-
ful forest resource returned to
the land because there is no
natural seed source for natu-
ral regeneration.
“You have to give nature
a hand to get this forest
growing again, so you, your
kids, your grandkids have
the opportunity to enjoy
what we enjoyed before it
burned down,” he said to the
students.
John Campbell, the ag
instructor and FFA adviser at
South Umpqua, said his stu-
dents are in an Introduction to
Ag class and presently study-
ing the Forest Fire unit.
“I hope the kids learn
we have some control over
wildfire with the proper for-
est management,” Campbell
said. “We’re learning about
the balance between pre-
scribed burns and wildfires.
“Being out here is the
ideal ag environment,” he
added. “The students are fully
engaged, using shovels, hold-
ing and planting seedlings.
It’s so different than being in
the classroom.”
Tim Freeman, a Douglas
County commissioner, said
it was a great learning expe-
rience for the students to lis-
ten to the forestry officials
talk about forest manage-
ment and wildfire. He added
it’s important for the kids to
know that the private land
burned in the Archie Creek
Fire will be “mostly refor-
ested and become a green
forest again” under the guid-
ance of the Oregon Forest
Practices Act while “most of
the Forest Service and BLM
lands will not be replanted or
reforested” because of more
restrictive federal regulations.
“I think it’s important for
the students to hear that when
they come up this road in 20
years, the private land will
have at least 30-foot tall trees
while on the public land will
be tall brush,” Freeman said.
Robertson said he was
pleased with the planting
effort and the response from
the students.
“Even though what they
did was on a small scale, get-
ting this next generation of
trees growing is so import-
ant because the recovery of
the forest, the wildlife, the
watershed will be expedited
because of their planting
efforts today,” he said.
To get information published
Mailing address:
Capital Press
P.O. Box 2048
Salem, OR 97308-2048
News: Contact the main office
or news staff member closest to you,
send the information to
newsroom@capitalpress.com
or mail it to “Newsroom,” c/o Capital Press.
Include a contact telephone number.
Letters to the Editor: Send your
comments on agriculture-related public
issues to opinions@capitalpress.com, or
mail your letter to “Opinion,” c/o Capital
Press. Letters should be limited to
300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday.
Capital Press ag media
CapitalPress.com
FarmSeller.com
MarketPlace.capitalpress.com
facebook.com/CapitalPress
facebook.com/FarmSeller
twitter.com/CapitalPress
youtube.com/CapitalPressvideo
CALENDAR
Submit upcoming ag-related events
on www.capitalpress.com or by email to
newsroom@capitalpress.com.
MONDAY-THURSDAY
MAY 24-27
Natural Products Expo West (online):
Virtual presentations and an online trade
show focusing on natural products and foods.
Website: www.expowest.com/
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY
JUNE 9-11
World Pork Expo: Iowa State Fairgrounds,
Des Moines. The world’s largest pork indus-
try-specific trade show brings together pork
producers and industry professionals from
around the world for three days of education,
innovation and networking. Website: https://
worldpork.org/
THURSDAY-SATURDAY
JUNE 24-26
United Fresh Convention and Expo
(in person and online): Los Angeles Con-
vention Center. Whether online or in per-
son, United Fresh is your partner connecting
the global fresh produce industry. Spon-
sored by the United Fresh Produce Associa-
tion and the Fresh Produce and Floral Coun-
Index
cil. Website: https://www.unitedfresh.org/
united-fresh-convention-expo-2021/#
TUESDAY-THURSDAY
AUG. 10-12
2021 Cattle Industry Convention &
Trade Show: Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nash-
ville, Tenn. The convention will include edu-
cational seminars, exhibits and networking.
Website: http://convention.ncba.org
AUG. 20-29
Western Idaho Fair: Expo Idaho, 5610
Glenwood St., Boise. Check back later for
more information. Website: www.idahofair.
com
SEPT. 3-11
Eastern Idaho State Fair: Eastern Idaho
Fairgrounds, 97 Park St., Blackfoot, Idaho. The
daily schedule and entertainment line-up will
be published in June. Website: https://funat-
thefair.com/
TUESDAY-SATURDAY
SEPT. 28-OCT. 2
World Dairy Expo: Alliant Energy Center,
1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison, Wis.
Among the many events held are contests
and a trade show. Website: https://world-
dairyexpo.com
Opinion ...................................................6
Correction policy
Accuracy is important to Capital Press
staff and to our readers.
If you see a misstatement, omission or
factual error in a headline, story or photo
caption, please call the Capital Press news
department at 503-364-4431, or send
email to newsroom@capitalpress.com.
We want to publish corrections
to set the record straight.