Working with the largest food service company in the world and one of the largest vegetable processors in the US, Integrated Pest Management practices will be documented by farmers and communicated to customers.

Vegetable farms in New York use a large quantity of pesticides in order to control pests to a level that results in crops that are acceptable to the demands of the marketplace. In order to more profitably manage their farms, minimize risk to the environment, and control pests that attack their crops, vegetable farmers in New York need to learn more about and adopt more IPM practices. At the same time, these farmers want to communicate to their customers - both retail and wholesale - about their adoption of environmentally sound farming practices. Consumers need to understand the impact that their buying decisions have on the pest and crop management practices that farmers choose. Preferentially buying products that farmers have produced using IPM techniques will encourage further IPM adoption and lower the environmental impact of farming.

The identification of agricultural products as IPM grown has recently taken a giant step forward. Work on IPM identification began at Cornell in 1987. Documentation to a set of standards modeled after the Cornell/Wegmans IPM labeling program is being required of SYSCO's many suppliers. SYSCO is a $30 billion/year food service company - the largest in the world. This development is causing Birdseye (and about 70 other suppliers) to identify the IPM training needed for about 250 vegetable farmers in New York and will extend to all of their growers nationally and internationally. We have recently completed the design of an IPM survey for all of Birdseye's NY growers (ProFac coop). Birdseye field staff administered the survey and we will evaluate the results which will help define the training needs for these growers. The IPM Institute of North America , founded by Petzoldt and Green in 1998, will play a major role as either the 3rd party auditor in the process or the coordinator of auditors.

SYSCO's initiative will have a huge impact on New York vegetable farmers in the practice of IPM, saving them money through IPM practice and allowing them access to or perhaps expansion in the marketplace. IPM demonstrations over the years have shown that pesticides are reduced between 10% and 80% when IPM is adopted. In addition, the impact of vegetable farming on the NY State environment will be lessened considerably resulting in a benefit for all New Yorkers.

Using IPM as an ecolabel

• Private/Other (e.g., unrestricted funds, commodity groups, foundations, companies)
• Federal Formula Funds - Extension (e.g., Smith Lever, RREA)
• State or Municipal (e.g., NYSDAM)

• Tom Green
• Rhett Smith
• Bill Pool
• Tom Facer
• Craig Watson
• Shane Sampels