Educational Materials and Training that Foster Implementation of Ecologically Based Pest Management Decision-Making in Great Lakes Apple Production

2002 Annual Report for LNC01-186

Project Type: Research and Education
Funds awarded in 2001: $63,117.00
Projected End Date: 12/31/2004
Matching Non-Federal Funds: $23,500.00
Region: North Central
State: Michigan
Project Coordinator:
David Epstein
Michigan State University

Educational Materials and Training that Foster Implementation of Ecologically Based Pest Management Decision-Making in Great Lakes Apple Production

Summary

Site-specific monitoring by properly trained scouts is paramount to implementing holistic apple management systems, but a shortage of these professionals is an impediment to wide-scale adoption of sustainable practices. Training is needed that approximates hands-on field experience and that enables new scouts to see the changes that occur in orchard pest management over a complete growing season. This program is developing a video that will be beneficial in reaching an audience that learns best through seeing and hearing physical demonstrations of information. These materials will allow scouts to go out “on their own” sooner, with more confidence and ability.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Objective 1: Utilize a grower/consultant/research/extension advisory panel to develop a state of the art, educational training program in sustainable pest management for apple growers and the agricultural professionals who assist them in managing their farm enterprises. This will include the design and production of a training video for use by growers, consultants, scouts, and input supply company field staff. On-farm video footage will include identification of key pests and beneficials and appropriate monitoring protocols. Identification of pest damage to the apple fruit, foliage, wood, and roots will be included. Professional video and sound technicians will be hired for the production process.

Objective 2: Conduct workshops utilizing the new educational resource materials for the grower/industry community. The video will be available for use at educational workshops, extension libraries, classroom settings, and for recruitment and training of new consultants/scouts. The video will be evaluated through a series of workshops.

Objective 1: Utilize a grower/consultant/research/extension advisory panel to develop a state of the art, educational training program in sustainable pest management for apple growers and the agricultural professionals who assist them in managing their farm enterprises. This will include the design and production of a training video for use by growers, consultants, scouts, and input supply company field staff. On-farm video footage will include identification of key pests and beneficials and appropriate monitoring protocols. Identification of pest damage to the apple fruit, foliage, wood, and roots will be included. Professional video and sound technicians will be hired for the production process.

Objective 2: Conduct workshops utilizing the new educational resource materials for the grower/industry community. The video will be available for use at educational workshops, extension libraries, classroom settings, and for recruitment and training of new consultants/scouts. The video will be evaluated through a series of workshops.

Accomplishments/Milestones

Objective 1: A grower/consultant/research/extension advisory panel was formed and held a series of six full-day meetings from November, 2001, through March, 2002. Major portions of designing and scripting video footage were completed during this time period (Table 1). Future Media Corporation, a professional video company located in Okemos, Michigan, provided the project team with scriptwriting software, and participated in the scriptwriting sessions to provide their technical expertise. The advisory panel consists of three independent crop consultants (J. Bakker, J. Laubach, D. Murray), two apple growers (J. Koan and W. Erwin), two advisors from Future Media Corporation, and the following specialists from Michigan State University (MSU): an IPM communications specialist (J. Landis), an agricultural meteorologist (J. Andresen), a pathologist (W. Shane), an extension horticulturist (A. Irish-Brown), a tree fruit IPM specialist (D. Epstein), and four entomologists (L. Gut, M. Whalon, P. McGhee, and J. Wise). The entire project team reviewed and edited all script written by individuals, or by small sub-groupings of the project team.

Video Script
I. Topics discussed early in video (15 minutes total)
1) How to use the video
2) Why scout?
3) Preparing for the season, site survey
a) weather monitoring, intro to DD
b) equipment and responsibilities
c) worker safety
4) Key aspects of a scouting program
II. Seasonal scouting (25-30 minutes)
1) Dormant to Pink Bud
2) First Bloom to Petal Fall
3) Early Summer
4) Mid Summer
5) Late Summer
III. Modules requiring more detailed information (20 mins)
1) Moth trapping
2) AM trapping, ID, mgmt.
3) PC trapping and decision making
4) DD models and decision making
a) Coddling Moth
b) Oriental Fruit Moth
c) Oblique Banded Leafroller
d) Tarnished Plant Bug
5) Bio-control
6) Scab Modeling
7) Fire Blight Modeling
Table 1. Scriptwriting for “Educational Materials and Training that Foster Implementation of Ecologically Based Pest Management Decision-Making in Great Lakes Apple Production”

Future Media Corporation began filming video and sound footage with project team members in April, 2002. Future Media personnel present on video shoots included a sound engineer, a cameraman, a director, and a technician. All shoots were done on location in various Michigan apple orchards, presenting many challenges in coordinating shoots involving specific plant and insect phenological events with cooperative weather and the schedules of all of the individuals involved. Nature did not always cooperate with our scheduling of field activities two weeks in advance of the anticipated event. As a result of poor weather conditions during several scheduled shoots in 2002, some footage was missed and some that was taken under conditions of high winds, rain, or unfavorable lighting will need to be recaptured during the 2003 season in order to provide the highest quality finished product.

A professional quality DVD recorder was purchased with funds obtained from MSU, allowing the project team the freedom to capture needed video footage that did not necessitate the involvement of Future Media personnel. Approximately three hours of video footage spanning four months, of tree phenology, pest and natural enemy activity, and other orchard activities was captured using the newly acquired recorder. This camera was used exclusively for recordings that did not involve sound or in-field demonstrations. Appendix 1 provides a detailed accounting of this video footage.

Major portions of the video involve an on screen “instructor” speaking to the audience as he demonstrates numerous scouting techniques in the orchard. Other sections of the video use voice over narration, where the speaker is off-screen. The voice over narration work has been performed in the studios of Future Media Corporation. Two three-hour sessions have been conducted, with approximately two to three more sessions needed to complete the narration work.

Looking to exploit recent advances in media technology that will facilitate use of this video, the advisory panel has targeted a DVD format as the final end product. The DVD format enhances the use of graphics along with video footage, and will allow users to view the video as a whole or to access discrete informational modules within the video for in-season viewing of information specific to certain time periods. Enabling users to view the video in this manner facilitates access to information on important seasonal monitoring activities, broadening the video’s appeal as an in-season tool.

Production work on the video will be completed by the end of the 2003 growing season. Post-production editing will begin by June, 2003, and will be completed by late fall when all video footage not collected in 2002 has been completed. Beta testing of the video will be done upon completion of post-production work using a series of focus groups. Growers, consultants, extension agents, and input suppliers–the target customers—-will be beta testing the products. Because we will be conducting the beta tests using a focus group structure, we will also devote a portion of the time to answering questions on usefulness, and getting an understanding of how to improve the product before we begin wide distribution. The new training materials will be made available through the MSU Bulletin Office, extension libraries, and organized workshops.

Objective 2: This program is developing videos to be used in training growers and agricultural professionals in the most recent sustainable agricultural pest management practices in apple farming. These tools will also be used to recruit and train new scouts. This training will be achieved in a number of ways. A companion project, currently funded for three years (2002-2004) at MSU, to train new scouts through classroom and field training will utilize the finished video in its training sessions. The video will also be used in training sessions at the annual MSU Tree Fruit IPM School (115-130 participants), and at annual regional winter horticultural meetings around Michigan. Additionally, the video will be made available through the MSU Bulletin Office, and copies will be sent to extension colleagues in apple producing states. Articles will be written in industry publications such as “The Fruit Grower News” and “The Good Fruit Grower” announcing the availability of the video.

During the 2002 season, the script prepared by the project team was adapted and utilized as part of a series of eight articles in the Michigan State University Fruit Crop Advisory Team (CAT) Alert. The CAT Alert is a weekly newsletter prepared by the MSU Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program, also posted on the Web (http://www.msue.msu.edu/ipm/fruitCAT.htm), which is accessed by many of the fruit growers in Michigan and surrounding states. The eight articles were all adapted from script written as part of this project:

1) “Time to start up your apple scouting program”, Vol. 17, No. 2, April 9, 2002
2) “Weather monitoring considerations”, Vol. 17, No. 2, April 9, 2002
3) “Pest monitoring in apple from bloom to petal fall”, Vol. 17, No. 4, April 30, 2002
4) “Using pheromone traps to monitor moth activity”, Vol. 17, No. 1, March 26, 2002
5) “Degree day model for Oriental fruit moth”, Vol. 17, No. 5, May 7, 2002
6) “Scouting through the season: Petal fall”, Vol. 17, No. 6, May 14, 2002
7) “Monitoring fire blight”, Vol. 17, No. 7, May 28, 2002
8) “Apple pest monitoring through the summer months”, Vol. 8, No. 13, July 9, 2002

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Project Outputs: A 60-minute video available for distribution through the Michigan State University (MSU) Bulletin Office, associated publications as appropriate (Web site), three evaluation workshops in Michigan (eight to ten participants in each), minimum of five training workshops in Michigan (15 to 30 participants in each), training session at the annual MSU Tree Fruit Integrated Pest Management (IPM) School (115 to 130 participants).

Project Outcomes:

Short-term:
-Videos will be made available through extension libraries, organized workshops, and colleges.
-Video will reach an audience of 1,000-plus viewers, including growers, educators, crop consultants, scouts, input supplier field representatives, university extension specialists, college students, potential scouts, and residential fruit growers.
-Crop consultants, agricultural extension specialists, and input suppliers will use the materials to recruit new scouts, and to train existing and new employees and scouts.

Long-term:
-Improved pest monitoring skills in the grower and agricultural professional communities
-Increased number of trained scouts, consultants, and growers
-Improved knowledge and awareness of the role of beneficial arthropod and disease organisms
-Implementation of sustainable management practices that reduce pesticide risk/use
-Conservation of biological control organisms in orchard agroecosystem

Collaborators:

Jim Koan

Larry Gut

John Bakker

Peter McGhee

Jim Laubach

John Wise

William Shane

Jeff Andresen

andresen@msu.edu
Agricultural Meteorologist
MI State University
417 Natural Science
East Lansing, MI 48824
Office Phone: 5173350321
Amy Irish-Brown

Mark Whalon

Doug Murray