Efforts continued to improve the amount, diversity, and effectiveness of pest management strategies and technologies available to New York producers to better manage insect, disease, weed, and vertebrate pests of field crops and livestock. Extension outreach collaborations efforts are on-going to train clientele through conventional extension modes, through experiential training approaches and through the use of electronic media such as the World Wide Web.

Dairy production is the major agricultural industry in New York contributing more than 1.2 billion annually to the state's economy. New York's dairy producers share similar crop production and pest management needs identifying them as a target for extension efforts. New York cash field crop producers also easily fit these criteria for outreach focus. Insect, disease, weed, and vertebrate pest problems all impact on agricultural profitability and decisions regarding their management can also affect environmental quality. Arthropod pests of livestock and poultry can affect animal health, production profitability, and off-farm neighborhood relations. LFC/IPM efforts take a whole-farm approach to managing pest problems of crops and animals. The program is closely aligned with other Cornell Coopeartive Extension (CCE), state, and federal efforts to optimize production profitability in and environmentally sound manner.

Addressing LFC/IPM needs of clientele requires effective networking, collaborations with colleagues and stakeholders, capitalizing on outreach opportunities, evaluating needs, new technologies and other promising pest management developments. To advance LFC/IPM efforts, I constantly network with other crop production/protection specialists, am active in various Cornell project work teams, regional training workshops such as Northeast Certified Crop Advisor Program, nationally with the Livestock Insect Workers Conference (LIWC), and directly and indirectly with animal and crop pest management research efforts. My livestock and field crop IPM team (Ken Wise and Julie Stavisky) and I are very involved in outreach efforts such as our Tactical Agricultural (TAg) Team programs. This year new TAg efforts were launched to address wheat production and an advanced TAg training program for field corn and alfalfa producers. Our team provided weekly seasonal field crop pest activity updates to extension personnel via an extension listserv. I co-led a livestock IPM regional workshop targeting training for milk inspectors and extension personnel, and served as co-program chair for the 2004 48th National Livestock Insect Workers Conference in Lake Placid, NY. I co-led (with Raj Smith, Pam Kline, and Russ Hahn) development of the Cornell Guide for Integrated Field Crop Management (www.fieldcrops.org) -- this effort also successfully streamlined developing, editing, and production of this Cornell Guide.

Grower adoption of IPM principles and practices is the goal of our IPM program. Our accomplishments reflect contributions and collaborations by many campus, county, and regionally based researchers, CCE educators, local state and federal partners, agribusiness, and agricultural producers Measurable impacts of research efforts and extension programming can be difficult to document. My research collaborations have evaluated new technologies important to crop and animal pest management. Studies this year have included IPM approaches to managing soybean aphid and livestock and poultry pests in NY. Results from these projects have been shared through outreach efforts. The on-line version of the Cornell Guide to Integrated Pest Management, launched in October 2004, will serve as a resource will enhance outreach and provide opportunities for expanding CCE field-crop education. Regional and national efforts have enhanced LFC information available through improved networking with other crop protection specialists across the country. Our 2004 regional Livestock IPM workshop has led to opportunities for outreach among NY clientele and an invitation to present a workshop for Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture and PA Certified Organic producers in Kinzer, PA in August of this year. TAg program continue to evaluate impacts of individual county TAg implementation projects with documented improvements of grower post participation test scores.

Integrated Pest Management

• Federal Formula Funds - Extension (e.g., Smith Lever, RREA)
• Private/Other (e.g., unrestricted funds, commodity groups, foundations, companies)
• Federal Formula Funds - Research (e.g., Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, Animal Health)
• Regional granting source: Northeast Soybean Promotion Board

• Ken Wise
• Julie Stavisky
• Don Rutz
• Russ Hahn
• Gary Bergstrom
• Margaret Smith
• Julie Hansen
• Elson Shields
• Paul Curtis
• Raj Smith