July 31, 2015 11:14 AM

Farmers are eradicating burrowing rodents with a tunnel destroying method up to 40% more effective than typical techniques

This item has been supplied by a forage marketer and has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hay & Forage Grower.

In any business, threats to livelihood are attacked aggressively. So when burrowing rodents start killing crops and reducing yield in the ag business, farmers don’t think twice about eradicating them from their operation.

“From crop loss and equipment damage to irrigation berm wash outs, burrowing rodents can devastate farmers’ bottom line,” says Matt Roland, owner of Rodent Nation, an Idaho-based burrowing pest exterminator.

While traditional rodent control techniques include poison, trapping, and shooting, farmers are eliminating burrowing rodents with an underground concussive force, tunnel destroying method up to 40% more effective than these familiar approaches.

In other words, farmers and even the pest control companies they hire are blowing up these pests and their tunnels because it makes good business sense to do so.

Pocket gophers, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs (often in combination) top the list for burrowing rodent ag loss in many North American farms.

“Burrowing rodents on a hayfield can cost you up to 50% of your yield, while cutting the longevity of your stand by half or more,” says Roland. “Pocket gophers attack the root. Ground squirrels and prairie dogs eat the foliage too; if they eat alfalfa down to the crown, it won’t grow back so you have to replant it.”

According to studies Rodent Nation has done, a burrowing rodent pest elimination system called the Rodenator, manufactured by Emmett, Idaho-based Meyer Industries (www.rodenator.com), has proven up to 40% more effective at eliminating burrowing pests than traditional methods.

The Rodenator injects a calibrated mixture of propane and oxygen into the ground and ignites the mixture to create a concussive force that instantly kills burrowing pests underground and collapses their tunnels without damaging crops or the environment.

“We’ve found the Rodenator to be the fastest, most direct, and cost effective way to eliminate a burrowing rodent problem,” says Roland. “In our studies and field use, we’ve found it to be up to 40% faster than traditional methods like trapping to achieve the desired kill rate, as well as up to 40% less expensive to use.”

For more info, call 800-750-4553; fax 208-365-3338; visit www.rodenator.com; email ed@rodenator.com; or write to Meyer Industries at PO Box 39, Emmett, ID 83617.