Abstract

Through on-farm education, field crop producers learned and adopted integrated pest management (IPM) and integrated crop management (ICM) practices that make farms more profitable while protecting the environment and human health.

Issue

Field crops comprise about 85 percent of agricultural crops grown and harvested in New York State, and their production poses many pest-related issues and management challenges. It is important that field crop producers learn to protect the environment, optimize net profitability, and reduce health risks.

Response

On-farm IPM education in small learning groups has been shown to increase IPM participation among target audiences. The New York State IPM Field Crops and Livestock Team has developed an on-farm extension program for presentation to small groups of field crop producers on a regular basis over the course of a growing season. When producers meet for training programs on a regular basis, they retain more knowledge and are more willing to use the IPM practices that are taught. The original program, an experiential, hands-on IPM and ICM educational program called Tactical Agriculture (TAg), has been active in New York State since 1990. TAg teaches field crop producers and other agribusiness personnel in field corn and alfalfa to better manage field crops, protect the environment, optimize net profitability, and reduce health risks. In 2004 we used the TAg structure to start new programs, including the Wheat TAg program and the Pest Production and Profitability program, or Triple-P.

Impact

We conducted on-farm education in Lewis, Oneida, Fulton, Herkimer, and Montgomery Counties in eastern New York. Traditional TAg was implemented in Lewis County with a team of 10 field crop producers and consultants. In an exit survey, producers indicated that they now utilize the IPM and ICM training on approximately 1,470 acres of corn, alfalfa, and other field crops. The Triple-P team met at different farms every two to three weeks to discuss advanced pest and crop management issues relevant to the season. The program consisted of six field crop producers in Herkimer, Otsego, Montgomery, and Hamilton Counties. We conducted six meetings and discussed a wide range of topics related to field corn, alfalfa, and forage grasses.

The enrolled growers, who owned and managed 2,500 acres of corn, alfalfa, grasses, and soybeans, later indicated that they would implement IPM and ICM practices. We implemented a new program, Wheat TAg, in Oneida County after testing producers' knowledge of IPM and ICM practices and finding that they answered fewer than half the test questions correctly. At the completion of the program, the participants answered close to 85 percent of the same questions correctly. Results from evaluation materials indicate that IPM will be implemented on 800 acres of wheat on producer farms.

Funding Sources

• State or Municipal (e.g., NYSDAM)

Topic Description

• Integrated Pest Management

Collaborators

• Keith Waldron: NYS IPM Coordinator: Livestock and Field Crops- Cornell University
• Dr.Gary C. Bergstrom:Professor: Department of Plant Pathology- Cornell University
• Dr.Russ Hahn:Professor: Department of Crops and Soil Sciences- Cornell University

Key Personnel

• Julie Stavisky:Western NYS IPM Extension Educator: Field Crops and Livestock-Cornell University
• Kevin Ganoe:Field Crops Area Cornell Cooperative Extension Educator-Cornell University
• Jeff Miller: Oneida County Extension Educator: Field Crops-Cornell University
• Jennifer Beckman:Lewis County Extension Educator: Field Crops Cornell University