Kids back on the farm? Sign them up for the 2014 Integrated Pest Management Academy
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EmailDo you have a farm employee who could brush up on their pest management skills? Register now to ensure their spot at this pioneering workshop designed to serve specialty crop, field crop and landscape professionals.
When new employees come onto the farm business or a family member takes an interest in pitching in, it can be overwhelming to bring them up to speed on the complex and integrated systems involved in modern agriculture. To address these challenges, Michigan State Extension has developed the 2014 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Academy to serve beginner and intermediate growers looking to improve their pest management knowledge in an accessible but comprehensive program. Of course, even seasoned producers can benefit from a review of the resources available and an update on the latest and greatest pest management strategies that science has to offer.
The third annual IPM Academy will be held Feb. 18-19, 2014, at the Okemos Conference Center in Okemos, Mich., located just outside of East Lansing, Mich. This two-day workshop is packed full of information to help you improve your IPM practices on farm and take advantage of all the great resources MSU has to offer. The presenters at this program include a number of MSU’s best and brightest research and extension faculty, offering a rare opportunity to hear from experts working in a variety of disciplines and cropping systems at a single event.
The first day of the program will cover fundamental topics, including IPM strategies for disease and insect control; promoting and protecting pollinators; alternative weed control strategies; pesticide basics; the impacts of weather on pesticides; invasive pests; and IPM resources from MSU. On the second day of the workshop, participants opt into two, half-day sessions focused on the topic of their choice. This year, the day two sessions include the following options:
Morning sessions
Soil health: What is it, Why is it Important, and How Can it be Managed?
Soil is one of the most important, but often the ignored components of successful plant production. Understanding the importance of soil management and how soil interacts with nutrients, water and pesticides will be explored during this session. Attendees are encouraged to bring soil test results to get a personal recommendation for their site and crops. This a cross-commodity session, everyone’s welcome.
Landscape Design and IPM: Getting it Right from the Start
Many landscape plant problems are rooted in poor design or poor plant selection. This session will feature a discussion on landscape design, placement and selection of ornament plants and their implications when dealing with pest management in landscapes. This session may be of interest to landscape professionals or backyard enthusiasts.
Stewardship of Pesticides in Michigan Field Crops
Farmers use many tools to manage weeds, insects and diseases in their cropping system. Still, chemical controls are often favored for their ability to provide efficient and effective crop protection. This session will offer an overview of the many pesticide options available to field crop producers, discuss their modes of action and highlight management strategies that can be used to limit the development of pesticide resistance as well as practices that can be used to manage pest populations that already exhibit resistance.
Hops: Getting Started
The morning hop session will cover an introduction to hops, soils and site selection, understanding soil and tissue testing, variety selection, trellising, irrigation and establishment costs.
Afternoon sessions
Hop Management
The afternoon hop session will cover planting and training hops, fertilizer and nutrient requirements, common insect mite and disease problems, scouting for insects and diseases, weed management and harvesting and processing hops.
Ecologically-Based Fruit Pest Management
Growing fruit can be an input intensive, challenging endeavor. Session participants will learn about ecologically sound preventative pest actions, pest management approaches and horticultural practices that can help lessen the challenge of growing fruit.
Managing Pests in Diverse Vegetable Rotations
Michigan growers produce a wide diversity of vegetables at many different scales, which are challenged by a sometimes overwhelming diversity of insect, disease and weed pests. This session aims to introduce conventional and organic growers to an integrated set of control tactics—including cultural, chemical, mechanical and biological approaches—that can be used to manage pests in an economically and environmentally sound way.
Solving the Puzzle: IPM Planning and Implementation for Real-world Field Crops Systems
Integrated pest management makes sense on paper, but how do you fit this broad philosophy into a real-world cropping system? In this session, we will discuss how to develop a farm IPM plan that encourages pest management decisions that focus on maintaining efficiency and maximizing profitability. In addition, a panel of farmers will share with participants how they have successfully incorporated IPM principles into their farm plans.
Emerging Pest Problems of Michigan Landscapes
New or invasive pests can cause significant economic and ecological damage. This session will review current and potential pest problems to Michigan landscapes such as oak wilt, hemlock woolly adelgid, thousand canker disease, Asian longhorn beetle and more.
Registration
The cost of this event is $225. Please note that snacks, lunch and parking are included. Participants also receive a notebook with program material and a complimentary IPM-related MSU bulletin. Michigan pesticide recertification credits and Master Gardener credits will be available.
For more information on the program, a full agenda or registration, visit http://bit.ly/ipm-academy14 . For more information or to register by phone, contact Betsy Braid at braidbet@msu.edu or 517-884-7081.
This program was developed with support from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
