- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
Whether you call them wild hogs, feral pigs, feral hogs, wild boars, Russian boars or Eurasian boars, by any name the hairy beasts are wrecking crews on California lands. In rangelands, forests and farms, wild pigs trample crops, prey on farm animals and rip up soil with their sharp tusks, contributing to erosion.
“Rangeland managers and farmers can enter data into the app from the field so that we can estimate the land area and economic impacts of feral pig damage over a longer time period,” said Roger Baldwin, UC Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist in the Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology at UC Davis.
Here's how it works. To file a report, users take photos of the wild pig damage, describe the damage and note the number of pigs seen. The app will map the acreage and geographic location. Cell service is not required at the site to collect data.
When the user is connected to wi-fi or cell service, the data and photos will be uploaded to the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources server so Baldwin and John Harper, UC Cooperative Extension livestock and natural resources advisor, can analyze the data. Users will be able to see a map of wild pig damage, but to maintain user privacy, private property and user identities are blocked from the general public.
"The goal of the app is to demarcate wild pig damage, ultimately allowing us to relate this data to habitat features present at damage sites to determine the impact that these habitat components have, both on how pigs use the landscape and where damage is most likely to occur,” Baldwin said.
“The app, especially from a rangeland standpoint, will provide a large data set that will help us calculate acreage damaged,” said Harper, who is based in Mendocino and Lake counties. “Once that is available, we have tools, presently used for fire loss, that will allow us to calculate economic loss of forage due to the pigs. The end user would benefit in knowing that loss and policymakers would benefit from knowing the aggregate economic loss from a managed game animal.”
Wild pig populations and their associated damage are so widespread throughout California that statewide eradication efforts may not be possible, according to Baldwin.
“We probably need to focus our limited resources on managing wild pigs in targeted areas that will provide the greatest benefit,” he said. “Information collected from this app will hopefully allow us to identify these areas, ultimately resulting in more effective and practical management of wild pigs in both agricultural and natural resource landscapes."
The wild pig damage app can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play. Development of the app was funded by the Renewable Resources Extension Act, a program of USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Although the study is currently focused on California, the app could be adapted to work at a regional, national or international scale. Citizen scientists can also use the app to report wild pig damage they see around the state.
To participate in the wild pig damage project without the app, landowners and ranchers can fill out a short survey at http://ucanr.edu/wildpig2016.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. Individual identities and survey responses will be kept confidential and participation in the survey is entirely voluntary.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
UC ANR ups prize money for apps to solve real agriculture problems
Winners receive $7,500 for first place, $4,500 for second place and $2,500 for third place
The stakes have been raised. UC Agriculture and Natural Resources has added more cash to the prizes for the fourth Apps for Ag Hackathon on July 15-17. Software developers, designers, entrepreneurs, farmers, farm consultants and others in the agricultural industry are invited to compete.
At the hackathon, anyone with an idea for a mobile app that would simplify a task for growers or ranchers can team up with people who can turn the idea into something functional.
“We hope to create some really transformative technology for agriculture,” said Gabriel Youtsey, UC ANR's chief information officer.
Teams will compete in three challenge areas: pest management, drought and irrigation efficiency, and healthy soil. See http://www.apps-for-ag.com/challenges/ for details. Food or agriculture-related concepts that do not fit within these challenge areas are also welcome.
The competition, the fourth in a series to solve real problems in agriculture and food, is being hosted by UC ANR and the California State Fair.
The hackathon will be held at the UC ANR building at 2801 Second Street in Davis, from 8 a.m. Friday, July 15, to 11 a.m. Sunday, July 17.
Participants will compete for cash prizes at a “pitchfest” in front of a live audience at the California State Fair on Sunday, July 17, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the top three apps: $7,500 for first place, $4,500 for second place and $2,500 for third place.
The first place team will also receive a six-month top-tier membership to the AgStart Incubator in Woodland and custom rodeo-style belt buckles. All three top teams will also receive complimentary startup incorporation services from Royse Law worth $2,200.
USDA Deputy Chief Information Officer Joyce Hunter will be a keynote speaker. Judges will include University of California Chief Information Officer Tom Andriola, UC Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources Glenda Humiston, USDA Chief Data Officer Bobby Jones, and Better Food Ventures and Mixing Bowl Hub Founder Rob Trice.
“Hackathons are a great way to spur innovation in industry verticals where technology has not been fully adopted,” said Trice.
The Apps for Ag hackathon is sponsored by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, the California State Fair and City of Sacramento.
For more information and to register, visit http://www.apps-for-ag.com.
Do you have an idea for a mobile app that would simplify a task for growers, ranchers or anyone who works in agriculture? Meet others who can turn your idea into something functional.
The California Apps for Ag, the fourth in a series, will be held July 15-17. The competitive hackathon to solve real problems in agriculture and food is being hosted by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and the California State Fair.
Software developers, designers, entrepreneurs, farmers, farm consultants and others in the agricultural industry are encouraged to participate in the hackathon, which will be held at the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources building at 2801 Second Street in Davis, from 8 a.m. Friday, July 15 to 11 a.m. Sunday, July 17.
Participants will compete for cash prizes at a “pitchfest” in front of a live audience at the California State Fair on Sunday, July 17, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the top three apps: first place wins $5,000, second place $3,000 and third place $1,500.
“We would really like to see participants come from all corners of the state,” said Gabe Youtsey, UC ANR's chief information officer, “Let's see what happens when we mix developers from Silicon Valley and Southern California with agricultural experts from the Central Valley, coast and desert regions.”
People who work in agriculture should bring ideas for problems that technology may help solve.
“Apps for Ag Hackathons have already resulted in multiple startups and we want to see this momentum continue to grow,” said Robert Tse, USDA California Rural Development chief strategy officer for agriculture technology and innovation. “There is no better place than the State Fair in the Capitol to showcase the ingenuity of California's ag tech community.”
One startup that has resulted from a previous ag hackathon is Ag for Hire, which connects farm workers who need jobs with farmers who need workers.
“Apps for Ag is where I met my cofounder, formed the concept and built our first prototype,” said Josh Brown, Ag for Hire founder and CEO. “I would not have been able to find someone so embedded in the agriculture industry on my own.”
“Hackathons are a great way to spur innovation in industry verticals where technology has not been fully adopted,” said Rob Trice, one of the judges and the founder of the Mixing Bowl and Better Food Ventures.
“All roads already point to the State Fair's competitions for other agricultural commodities,” said Jay Carlson, ag programs manager at the State Fair, “This makes the fair a showcase for agricultural innovations as well.”
For more information and to register, visit http://www.apps-for-ag.com.
About Apps for Ag
Apps for Ag is a pro-bono endeavor supported by several AgTech hubs around California, and founded by the AgTech Roundtable, whose members include U.S. Department of Agriculture, California Department of Food and Agriculture, California Department of Technology, California Farm Bureau Federation, California Association of Pest Control Advisers and many other organizations.
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers and educators draw on local expertise to conduct agricultural, environmental, economic, youth development and nutrition research that helps California thrive. Learn more at ucanr.edu.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Patrick Dosier, Apps for Ag, (714) 504-5424, info@apps-for-ag.com
Gabe Youtsey, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, (530) 750-1314, gdyoutsey@ucanr.edu