Final report for SNE22-005-MD
Project Information
Agricultural pests such as insects, weeds, nematodes, and disease pathogens damage, disfigure, or destroy more than 30 percent of crops worldwide. Many farmers and ranchers use pesticides or tillage to control these pests; however, overusing chemicals can lead to resistant pest populations, and exclusive tillage can reduce soil health and increase the likelihood of erosion. Farmers are busy and cannot always stay up to date on new emerging weeds, diseases, and insects. Additionally, farmers are currently dealing with increased production costs in fuel and chemicals, which add an extra financial burden on farmers and reduce their profits.
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a practical and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that can help farmers reduce the number of sprays they apply to a field by combining proactive and reactive management practices. IPM uses knowledge about the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment to manage pest populations and damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.
This project held six different training events, with the goal of training agriculture service providers in IPM principles, pest identification skills, and pest management strategies, so that they will be able to offer additional support to farmers. A general introduction to IPM class was held in person and as a virtual web series. The curriculum included an overview of IPM, plant diagnosis, pest identification, and management methods. Two insect pest management workshops were held during the second year of the project, where participants were able to practice identification skills using an insect teaching collection and gain experience scouting for insects. A small farm weed management workshop covered an overview of weed management, using hand tools, weed identification, and safe herbicide use. A pest management for poultry producers’ class was held, focusing on insect pest biology, management practices, and safe insecticide use.
These events were attended by approximately 52 farmers and 47 service providers. Based on the end-of-workshop survey response, the majority of attendees gained knowledge in identifying crop issues, managing pests (weeds, insects, and disease pathogens), pest identification, pest prevention, safe pesticide usage, and creating an IPM plan. The majority of attendees predicted that they would share what they learn with at least five farmers within 12 months of the class.
There were limited responses to six month lather follow up surveys. Based on these responses, 4 service providers and 2 farmers who engage with this project shared information with 50 other farmers about how to improve their pest and weed management practices by scouting, identifying, and using a mixture of control techniques as a result of participating in this project.
Centering and Belonging Mini-Project
Northeast SARE offered additional funding to State Coordinators to reach grass-roots organizations.
The purpose of this mini-project was to strengthen the relationship between SARE and local grass-roots farmer-led organizations on education programs. University of Maryland State Coordinator Emily Zobel worked with two farmer-led organizations, Wild Kid Acres Farm and the Farm Alliance of Baltimore, to partner on several farmer educational events. Both organizations have been active in farmer-led education programs for several years and have built up a trusted relationship with the local farming community they serve.
Wild Kid Acres held three education events, with over 100 local farmers attending each event. Topics covered included legislation, regulations, labor issues, potential market opportunities, and transition to regenerative agriculture. They also held an event in partnership with Tufts University Institute on Nutrition and Innovation that concentrated on the connection between food, health, and the community. The Farm Alliance of Baltimore hosted 16 events, attracting ~ 660 participants. Topics covered included beekeeping, growing herbs, soil health, growing mushrooms, seed saving, tool care, value-added products, farmer-worker communication skills, and farm wellness.
50 service providers will advise a total of 150 farmers about how to improve their pest management practice by scouting fields, identifying pests, using thresholds, and using a mixture of pest control techniques as a result of participating in this project.
Agricultural pests such as insects, weeds, nematodes, and disease pathogens damage, disfigure, or destroy more than 30 percent of crops worldwide. Many farmers and ranchers use pesticides and tillage to control these pests. The overuse of pesticides can lead to resistant pest populations. Exclusive tillage can reduce soil health and increase the likelihood of erosion. A 2019 review published in Biological Conservation cited that agrochemical pollutants, such as synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, are one of the main drivers of global insect species decline (Sanchez-Bayo, 2019). Beginning farmers tend to struggle with pest management, as that is a significant knowledge gap to overcome. Organic farms often have a more difficult time dealing with pests than conventional farms. Additionally, farmers are currently coping with increased production costs in fuel, fertilizer, and pesticide chemicals, which add an extra financial burden on farmers and reduce their profits.
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a practical and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that can help farmers reduce the number of sprays they apply to a field by combining proactive and reactive management practices. It uses knowledge about the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment to manage pest populations and damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.
Pest identification is key to choosing the correct treatment and management strategy. Correctly identifying pests is crucial because using the wrong pesticide can be ineffective, and many modern pesticides are highly selective. Proper identification ensures the correct control method is being used to prevent and reduce pest pressure. If a pesticide is needed, identification prevents harm to beneficial organisms and avoids wasting resources on non-existent or misdiagnosed problems like abiotic (non-living) issues. While some farming operations might hire a company to help with pest scouting and pesticide application, others scout on their own or don’t scout at all. Farmers might seek help from ag service providers when encountering new or unfamiliar pest issues. However, not all ag service providers are familiar with pest identification and management aspects. When surveyed prior to this project starting, 47 out of 65 participants’ agriculture service providers answered that they thought some training in IPM was needed for themselves and their peers, and 43 stated that they would likely attend training about IPM.
This project held several general IPM training workshops for agriculture service providers, such as extension agents, soil conservation district employees, and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employees across Maryland. These classes focused on teaching IPM principles and management strategies for common ag crops, including both grain and vegetables. Participants gained knowledge in crop issue diagnosis, weed identification, insect identification, and pest management. Additional IPM trainings were held focusing on poultry house insect pest and urban ag weed management. These classes widen the pool of people who can aid farmers with pest identification and management questions.
Sánchez-Bayo, F., Wyckhuys, K., (2019) Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation, 232, Pages 8-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.01.020.
Educational approach
The original plan for this project was to host several one and two-day workshops centered around IPM education and hands-on learning. During these events, service providers and farmers would learn about the benefits of using IPM, standard pest management practices, plant diagnosis, and pest identification. However, based on feedback, the two-day workshop was shortened to one day, and separate half-day training and online events were held. Faculty from the University of Maryland, College Park, the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, and the University of Maryland Extension were asked to teach for this project. The full-day workshops were taught a mixture of lectures and hands-on activities.
Agricultural service providers recruited for this project included University Extension agents, personnel from federal, state, and county agricultural agencies, and agricultural educators from non-profit organizations. Farmers were also welcome to participate. Service providers and farmers learned about Northeast SARE as a whole and this project's educational events through emails, news articles, extension blogs, and extension newsletters. SARE table displays at winter meetings and local agriculture conferences allowed for direct outreach about Northeast SARE grants, resources, and this project with farmers and service providers.
The first year of this project focused on creating educational materials and hosting several specific IPM workshops. An IPM pasture workshop and poultry IPM class were planned, but both were canceled due to low registrations. An Urban Ag IPM class was moved from an in-person to an online lunch-and-learn format based on feedback from an Urban Ag survey. The web series covered general IPM and pest management in urban and small-acreage farms. There were five one-hour virtual lectures for this series.
During the second year of the project, three workshops were held. One general IPM workshop was held in the spring, and two insect-specific workshops were held in the fall. The General IPM workshop's curriculum included an overview of IPM, IPM principles and practices, standard management practices for weeds, plant diseases, and insect pests. The workshop also included hands-on weed and pest identification activities, so that participants can practice identification skills. Farm case studies were created for the insect-specific workshop, which, along with the Pest Friend virtual game, allowed participants to practice developing an integrated pest management plan for a farm. Handouts and fact sheets used during all the workshops were shared both physically and digitally with participants.
During the last year of the project, a full-day small-farm weed management workshop and a half-day poultry insect management workshop were planned. The weed management workshop was moved from an outside hands-on training to a virtual half-day training due to the weather. The topic for the workshop included methods of managing weeds, choosing the correct tool, weed identification, controlling noxious weeds, and using herbicides safely. Handouts used during the workshops were shared digitally with participants. A pest management for poultry growers lunch and learn class was held in the lower eastern shore of Maryland. The class's curriculum included an overview of IPM, insect biology for the two primary insect pests in poultry houses, pest management practices, and safe insecticide use.
At the end of all the workshops and teaching events, participants were invited to fill out a survey to help gather feedback on the knowledge and skills learned and ways to improve future teaching events.
Milestones
- Complete - Engagement: November 2022- March 2023: Attend six UME winter production meetings to share information about SARE and upcoming IPM projects with farmers and service providers. Interact with 40 farmers and 30 service providers.
Accomplishments: Interacted with 40 farmers and 20 service providers.
- Complete - Engagement: March - October 2023: 100 service providers will learn about the one-day IPM classes (poultry, pasture, and urban ag) via local agriculture newspapers, email listserv, and UME newsletters. Each class will have 10 service providers sign up to participate.
Accomplishments: Information about the event was advertised in various local newspapers, UME newsletters, via email via the UME list server, and on the UME website.
- Complete- Learning: August 2023 - October 2023: Three standalone one-day specialty IPM classes will be held (poultry IPM on the eastern shore of Maryland, urban Ag in Baltimore, Maryland, and pasture and forage in western Maryland). Ten service providers will participate in each class. Participants will learn about common pests and pest-related issues for that ag commodity and control methods. Participants for all three classes will complete a survey to get feedback on the classes' content, format, and short-term learning goals. Feedback will be used for planning of a long IPM class.
Accomplishments: The one-day poultry class was planned, but was canceled due to low registration. It was rescheduled for Summer 2025 as part of a larger Poultry Grower workshop. The one-day IPM pasture class was planned but was canceled due to low registration. The Urban Ag IPM class was moved from an in-person to an online lunch-and-learn format based on feedback from an Urban Ag survey. A lunch and learn web series was held in the fall of 2023, focusing on general pest management for urban and small farms. The web series curriculum included an overview of IPM, understanding plant diseases, weed management, and how to create a farm pest management program. Participants include a mixture of farmers and service providers. SARE online resources were shared with participants. 54 people registered for the online webinars (31 service providers, 21 farmers, and two who prefer not to answer). On average, each class had 14 participants who attended live lectures and five to ten views of the recorded lectures. Online survey response was low, but those who did respond reported that they gained knowledge in identifying crop issues, managing weeds, and plant disease prevention. They report that they were likely to share some of the information, skills, or resources about pest management gained during the web series with 10 farmers over the next year.
- Complete - Engagement: October 2023- March 2024: Attend six UME production meetings to share information about SARE and the IPM project with farmers and service providers. Interact with 25 farmers and 25 service providers. 50 service providers learn about the IPM workshops via in-person interaction. Workshop information will also be shared via local AG newspapers, email listserv, and UME newsletters. 15 service providers will apply to take multiday IPM workshop.
Accomplishments: SARE outreach tables were held at five extension winter production meetings and two at conferences. Information about SARE resources and grants was shared with ~ 80 farmers and 25 ag service providers. Information was also shared by way of local Ag newspapers, email listserv, and UME newsletters.
- Complete - Learning: February 2024 - May 2024: 10 service providers will participate in a hands-on IPM workshop. Participants will learn about IPM management and control tactics. Insect pest and weed samples collected in 2023 will be used to teach insect, weed, and disease identification. At the end of the workshop, participants will complete a survey to get feedback on the workshop content, format, and short-term learning goals.
Accomplishments: A full-day General IPM workshop was held in April 2024. Three service providers and two farmers attended. Participants learned about IPM management and control tactics. The workshop's curriculum included an overview of IPM, IPM principles and practices, standard management practices, plant diagnosis, and pest identification. Participants were able to practice hands-on identification skills of weeds and insects during the workshop using an insect teaching collection, and weed samples were collected early that week. A farm pest case study allowed participants to practice developing an integrated pest management plan for a farm. SARE resources, along with handouts and fact sheets, used during the workshop were shared both physically and digitally with participants. At the end of the workshop, participants were invited to fill out a survey to help gather feedback to improve future teaching events. 60% of participants reported an increase in their knowledge and skills in IPM, identifying plant disease symptoms, insect identification, and strategies and methods to reduce weeds. 80% said they were to share some of the information, skills, or resources about pest management gained during the workshop with five farmers. A six-month survey was emailed to participants, with no responses. - Complete- Evaluation: November - December 2024: Eight service providers participating in the first IPM workshop will complete a follow-up survey. Surveys will collect information about the program's usefulness, the number of farmers the participants have interacted with concerning IPM, and suggestions for future programs. The advisory group will evolve the feedback from participants and use it to determine what adjustments and changes need to be made to the project.
Accomplishments - A six-month survey was sent via email to participants for the first IPM class. No feedback was collected. The advisory group meets and provides feedback on the project. In future programs, SARE books might be used as incentives to get participants to complete follow-up surveys.
- Complete - Learning: September 2024 - October 2024. 10 new service providers will participate in a second IPM workshop. Participants will learn about IPM management and control tactics. Insect pest and weed samples collected in 2023 will be used to teach insect, weed, and disease identification. At the end of the workshop, participants will fill out a survey to get feedback on the workshop content and short-term learning goals.
Accomplishments: Two insect management-specific workshops were held in September and October 2024. Both training events had 7-10 participants registered for each event; however, combined, they only had six participants (Three service providers, two farmer nonprofit employees, and one farmer). The workshop's curriculum included an overview of IPM, insect biology, insect identification, pest management practices, invasive insects, and safe insecticide use. Participants were able to practice hands-on identification skills of insects during the workshop using an insect teaching collection. Participants were able to learn and practice hands-on skills about how to scout or monitor for insect pests using visual counts, sweep nets, and pheromone traps. Participants were asked to practice using IPM on a farm by either playing the virtual game Pest Friend (https://pestfriends.org/) or by creating an IPM for a farm based on a case study. SARE resources, along with handouts and fact sheets, used during the workshop were shared with participants. At the end of the workshop, participants were invited to fill out a survey. All of the participants reported an increase in their knowledge and skills in IPM, identifying insects, prevention strategies, and scouting. 83% said they were to share some of the information, skills, or resources about insect management gained during the workshop with five farmers. A six-month survey was emailed to participants, with only one response.
- Complete - Engagement: November 2024- March 2025: Attend 6 UME winter production meetings to share information about SARE and IPM classes and workshops. Interact with 30 farmers and 30 service providers.
Accomplishments: SARE outreach tables were held at four extension winter production meetings and three conferences. Information about SARE resources and grants was shared with ~ 70 farmers and ~20 ag service providers. Information was also shared by way of local Ag newspapers, email listserv, and UME newsletters.
- Complete - Learning: March 2025 - October 2025: 10 new service providers will participate in IPM workshops. Additionally, two small farm weed management workshops are planned for April 2025. A monthly IPM web series will run from March 2025 to October 2025. Participants will complete a survey at the end of the workshops and webinars to get feedback on the workshop content and short-term learning goals.
Accomplishments: A small farm weed management workshop was held in the spring of 2025. The workshop was planned to be an outdoor hands-on event, but due to the inclement weather, it was moved to an online platform. Ten service providers and twenty-five farmers attended. There were also fifteen views of the event recording (part 1/ part 2). The class's curriculum included an overview of weed management, choosing the correct hand tools, weed preventive management practices, weed identification, and herbicide selection and use. Presentations were given by University of Maryland Extension Ag and Food System agents: Neith Little (Urban Agriculture Extension Educator, UME Baltimore City), Veronica Yurchak (UME Extension Specialist in Commercial Vegetable Production), Kelly Nicholas ( UME Agriculture Extension Educator, for Montgomery County) and Nathan Glenn (UME Agriculture Extension Educator, for Howard County). The class was about 3 hours long. At the end of the workshop, participants were invited to fill out an online survey. Online survey response was low, but participants reported that they all gained knowledge in choosing the correct hand tools, weed preventive management practices, weed identification, and the ability to use herbicides safely. All survey participants reported that they were likely to share some of the information, skills, or resources about pest management gained during the online class series with five or more farmers over the next year. In June 2024, a pest management for poultry growers’ lunch and learn class was held. There were 19 participants. The class's curriculum included an overview of IPM, insect biology for the two primary insect pests in poultry houses, pest management practices, and safe insecticide use. No survey was given at the event.
- Complete-Evaluation: March 2025: Four service providers who participated in the second group of IPM workshops will complete a follow-up survey. Surveys will collect information about the program's usefulness, the number of farmers the participants have interacted with concerning IPM, and suggestions for future programs. The feedback from participants will be reviewed by the advisory group and will be used in determining what adjustments and changes need to be made to the project.
Accomplishments: A follow-up survey was sent via email to participants for the two-insect pest management classes. There was one response. The response reported that they shared information about insect identification, management practices, and monitoring for insect pests with 6-10 farmers and shared information about invasive insects and safe insecticide use with 1-5 farmers.
- Complete-Evaluation: November 2025: Eight service providers participating in the third IPM workshop will complete a follow-up survey. Surveys will collect information about the program's usefulness, the number of farmers the participants have interacted with concerning IPM, and suggestions for future programs. The feedback from participants will be used to help guide future projects.
Accomplishments: A six-month survey was sent via email to participants for the Small Farm Weed Class. The follow-up survey had five responses (three service providers and two farmers). All five had responded that they shared information and skills with others about weeding tools selection, weed identification, and weed management strategies. Two responded that they shared information with others about safe pesticide use and spray collaboration. Information and skills taught during this class were shared with ~40 farmers, based on follow up survey.
Centering and Belonging Mini-Grant Project
- Complete- Engagement: August 2024: The State Coordinator will meet with Wild Kid Acres and the Farm Alliance of Baltimore to review grant and educational program plans. The Farm Alliance of Baltimore and Wild Kid Acres will share information about upcoming educational events with their local community through their websites, social media, and emails.
Accomplishments: The State Coordinator met with Wild Kid Acres and the Farm Alliance of Baltimore. Both shared information about the grant and upcoming events with their local community through their websites, social media, flyers, and emails.
- Complete- Learning: September 2024 - June 2025: Farm Alliance of Baltimore will host twelve educational training sessions for the local urban farming community. 15 farmers will attend each event. The State Coordinator will attend 30% of the training sessions based on her availability.
Accomplishments: The Farm Alliance of Baltimore hosted 16 events, attracting ~ 660 participants. Topics covered included beekeeping, growing herbs, soil health, growing mushrooms, seed saving, tool care, value-added products, farmer-worker communication skills, farmer listening circles, and farm wellness. The State Coordinator was not able to attend any workshops due to scheduling conflicts.
- Complete- Learning: November 2024: Wild Kid Acres will host four guest speakers for a two-day bilingual conference for farmers in Maryland and surrounding States. The State Coordinator will host a SARE outreach table at this event. 110 farmers will attend this event.
Accomplishments: The Wild Kid Acres conference was postponed until 2026. Instead, small, single-day educational events were held for the local farming community. Wild Kid Acres held three education events, with over 100 local farmers attending each event. Topics covered included legislation, regulations, labor issues, potential market opportunities, and transition to regenerative agriculture. They also held an event in partnership with Tufts University Institute on Nutrition and Innovation that concentrated on the connection between food, health, and the community. The State Coordinator was not able to attend the events due to scheduling conflicts.
- Complete- Evaluation: September 2024 - June 2025: An anonymous online survey will be set up and shared with event participants via paper card at the event, by email within a week of the event, and on the registration page for the events.
Accomplishments: In June of 2025, the survey was approved by IRB. Downloadable paper copies in English and Spanish were shared with Wild Kid Acres and Farm Alliance of Baltimore, as well as an online link and QR code for the virtual copy of the survey.
- Incomplete- Evaluation: December 2024: The State Coordinator will review the survey results and consider any necessary changes to programming based on participant feedback. Wild Kid Acres and the Farm Alliance of Baltimore will share results and feedback.
Accomplishments: No online surveys were completed. Paper copies that were given out during events were mailed to the State Coordinator, but were never received. In future programming, the State Coordinator will provide paper copies of surveys to sub-awardees and will request surveys to be scanned and emailed, or will drive to pick up paper copies.
- Complete-Evaluation: July 2025: The State Coordinator will meet with Wild Kid Acres and the Farm Alliance of Baltimore to gain feedback on their experience with the project and partnership.
Accomplishments: The State Coordinator had informal meetings with Wild Kid Acres and the Farm Alliance of Baltimore to learn about their experience with the project. Sub-awardees share that participants who attended project educational events gave positive feedback after the event. There were some frustrations around communication issues about grant management, reporting, and the payment timeline. In future projects, the State Coordinator will work more closely with sub-awardees to ensure grant reporting and budget are done in a timely manner and offer more assistance around reporting.
- Incomplete- Evaluation: July 2025: The State Coordinator will review the survey results and submit a report to SARE.
Accomplishments: Unfortunately, no SARE surveys were completed, so no report can be shared. In future projects, the State Coordinator will work more closely with sub-awardees to ensure surveys are being shared during events, collected, and reporting is being done monthly.
Milestone activities and participation summary
Participation summary:
Learning Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes
Performance Target Outcomes - Service Providers
Target #1
50 service providers will advise a total of 150 farmers about how to improve their pest management practice by scouting fields, identifying pests, using thresholds, and using a mixture of pest control techniques as a result of participating in this project.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 3 |
One service provider reported sharing information about insect identification, management practices, and monitoring for insect pests with 6-10 farmers, and information about invasive insects and safe insecticide use with 1-5 farmers. Three service providers reported sharing weeding tools selection, weed identification, and weed management strategies. Two service providers reported sharing information with farmers about safe pesticide use and spray collaboration.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 10 | 40 |
| Activity | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curricula, factsheets and other educational tools | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Consultations | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| Online trainings | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Webinars, talks and presentations | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| Workshops and field days | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Numbers are based on the end-of-workshop surveys.
Performance Target Outcomes - Farmers
Target #1
150
Numbers are based on the end-of-workshop surveys.
Additional Project Outcomes
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Nothing to Report
Nothing to report
Nothing to report
SARE Outreach
SARE information tables were present at several Maryland events and trainings including:
- 2023 Future Harvest Conference
- 2023 Eastern Shore Vegetable Grower Meeting
- 2023 Lower Shore Agronomy Day
- 2023 UMD AGNR Cornerstone Event
- 2023 Maryland International Agriculture and Environment Conference
- 2024 Future Harvest Conference
- 2024 Northern Maryland Fruit and Vegetable Growers Meeting
- 2024 Eastern Shore Vegetable Grower Meeting
- 2024 Lower Shore Agronomy Day
- 2024 Delmarva Soil Summit
- 2024 Maryland International Agriculture and Environment Conference
- 2025 Future Harvest Conference
- 2025 Northern Maryland Fruit and Vegetable Growers Meeting
- 2025 Eastern Shore Vegetable Grower Meeting
- 2025 Women in AG Conference
- 2025 UMES Showcase
- 2025 UMES Small Farm Conference
Articles about SARE and SARE grants ran in the UME Fruit and Vegetable Newsletter and UME Agronomy Newsletter.