It's mouse census week...

[gleee58]

How many at your place?

http://csironewsblog.com/2015/04/13/farmer-counts-a-mouse-australias-first-ever-mouse-census-week/

Our scientists are leading the nation’s first ever national game of cat and mouse, and we want you to join in the fun. Taking place this week, farmers and advisers throughout Australia’s grain-growing regions are being asked to get involved in the nation’s first everMouse Census Week by assessing mouse activity on their farms.

The census is taking place before seeding of winter crops – a critical time for locating mouse “hot spots” and determining whether numbers are at levels that could pose a risk to newly-sown crops. Farmers can record mouse activity via MouseAlert – a website and recently-released App aimed at improving early warning of possible plagues and rapid response to increases in mouse activity.

This video shows the sort of problem we are up against (and a warning, it’s not pretty):

We know from our own routine monitoring that mouse activity is currently low in Victoria and New South Wales, but has increased in South Australia with higher than normal abundance in some regions.

cont...

[gleee58]

It's a really good idea.  I often hear people say farmers aren't interested in IT but many are embracing it and developing all sorts of apps to improve productivity and make life easier.

[tasfleur]

[ashjoma]

4 less now

cat got one this morning and 3 yesterday

3 left at the back door and 1 brought inside.  My cat HATES mice

she would clear up that mice plague in the clip, very promptly  

[gleee58]

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@ashjoma wrote:

4 less now

cat got one this morning and 3 yesterday

3 left at the back door and 1 brought inside.  My cat HATES mice

she would clear up that mice plague in the clip, very promptly  

---

That's a lot of cat food in that plague.  You could save a fortune and make one from selling them.

[tasfleur]