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

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. The video this program is developing 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.

Accomplishments/Milestones

The grower/consultant/research/extension advisory panel completed all work on designing scripting, and recording video footage in 2003. The advisory panel consisted of three independent crop consultants (J. Bakker, J. Laubach, D. Murray), one apple grower (J. Koan), two advisors from Future Media Corporation, a professional video company located in Okemos, Michigan, and the following specialists from MSU: six entomologists (L. Gut, M. Whalon, P. McGhee, J. Wise, A. Coombs, and E. Hoffman), an IPM communications specialist (J. Landis), an agricultural meteorologist (J. Andresen), a pathologist (W. Shane), an extension horticulturist (A. Irish-Brown), and a tree fruit IPM specialist (D. Epstein). The entire project team reviewed and edited all script written by individuals, or by small sub-groupings of the project team.

Future Media Corporation (FMC) began filming video and sound footage with project team members in April 2002 and completed capturing video footage in September 2003. Personnel from FMC 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. As a result of the many challenges in coordinating shoots involving specific plant and insect phenological events with cooperative weather and the schedules of all of the individuals involved, and to expedite the capture of video footage that did not necessitate the involvement of Future Media personnel, a professional quality DVD recorder was purchased with funds obtained from Michigan State University. David Epstein and Amy Irish-Brown used the new recorder to capture much of the footage contained in the video. This camera was used exclusively for recordings that did not require capturing sound. Between the recordings by FMC and MSU, more than 20 hours of footage was captured for this video over a two-year period.

Major portions of the video involve an on-screen “instructor” speaking to the audience as he demonstrates and discusses 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 was done in the studios of Future Media Corporation, and was completed in 2003.

Looking to exploit recent advances in media technology that will facilitate use of this video, the advisory panel targeted a DVD format as the final 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.

The first round of post-production editing was completed in November of 2003. The first round of post-production editing was completed in November of 2003. The DVD is approximately 90 minutes long and is formatted into 21 tracks. The first four tracks address the essentials of developing a scouting program, including the types of information a scout should supply to the grower, site-specific weather monitoring, and pesticide safety. The next six modules fall under the major heading of “scouting through the season.” Each provides information on what a scout should be looking for during weekly scouting trips at various times of the year. Following scouting through the season are 10 modules that give detailed information on topics requiring more in-depth discussion, such as how to use degree-day models, monitoring primary disease and insect pest organisms, and biological control. All of these topics are discussed during the scouting through the season modules, but are singled out here for more detailed discussion.

Beta testing of the video began December 11, 2003 at a three-hour focus group conducted by Ms. Jean Haley of Haley Consulting Services at the MI Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Nine potential end users (six growers, one scout, and two consultants) viewed, evaluated, and provided feedback on video content and usability. Ms. Haley presented the project team with a report detailing the comments of the focus group participants. A second focus group was conducted December 18, 2003 at MI State University. Three specialists from entomology, one from agricultural meteorology, one extension agent, and two independent crop consultants viewed the video and provided critical evaluation. David Epstein led this second focus group with evaluation materials and directions provided by Ms. Haley.

The suggested changes to the video resulting from the two beta test focus groups were evaluated by members of the project team to determine which changes would be beneficial and feasible to incorporate given the constraints of time and available video footage and still photography. David Epstein then returned to the Future Media Production facilities to complete a second round of post-production editing, including formatting the DVD menu, instructional materials, and protective shell artwork. This phase of editing was completed on January 27, 2004. MSU personnel will review this edition of the video over the next week. Following this review, 1,000 DVD replications will be pressed, and the DVD will be made available for distribution through the MSU Extension Bulletin Office by mid-March 2004. The identifying number assigned to the video by MSU is DVD-273.

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).

David Epstein has made presentations of the video at the Western Orchard Pest and Disease Management Conference (200 researchers, consultants, and industry members) in Portland, OR on January 15, 2004, and at the Northwest MI Orchard Show (225 growers, extension personnel, and industry members) on January 20, 2004. Jean Haley was present at the NW Orchard Show presentation, and surveyed the audience response. This information will be included in the project final report. Additional presentations are scheduled at four regional grower meetings through April 2004.

The DVD was also displayed over three days at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids, MI, December 9-11, 2003. The DVD played continuously on a monitor at a booth promoting the MSU scout-training program previously mentioned. A list of people interested in purchasing the video was compiled during the Expo with the understanding that they would be notified when the DVD becomes available through the MSU Extension Bulletin Office. As a result of this exposure, two agricultural instructors, one at MSU and one at Central Michigan University have requested copies for their undergraduate instructional programs.

Articles describing and promoting the DVD have been included in the January 2004 edition of the Great Lakes Fruit Growers News, and in the MSU IPM Program winter newsletter. These articles generated numerous calls and e-mails requesting copies of the video. These names have been added to the list started at the Great Lakes Expo, and these individuals will also be notified when the DVD becomes available through the MSU Extension Bulletin Office. The DVD will be further promoted through additional articles in the Great Lakes Fruit Growers News and other trade publications, the MSU Fruit Crop Advisory Alert (weekly growing season newsletter), the Great Lakes IPM catalogue, and several IPM websites.

During the 2003 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 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.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

Project Outputs: A 90-minute video available for distribution through the MSU Bulletin Office (DVD-273), associated publications as appropriate (web-site), two evaluation workshops in Michigan (seven and nine participants in each), minimum of five training workshops (at regional grower meetings) in Michigan (30-200 participants in each), training session at the annual MSU Tree Fruit IPM School (115-130 participants).

Project Outcomes:
Short-term:
1) Videos will be made available through extension libraries, organized workshops, and colleges.
2) Video will reach an audience of 1,000+ viewers, including growers, educators, crop consultants, scouts, input supplier field representatives, university extension specialists, college students, potential scouts, and residential fruit growers.
3) 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:
1) Improved pest monitoring skills in the grower and agricultural professional communities.
2) Increased number of trained scouts, consultants, and growers.
3) Improved knowledge and awareness of the role of beneficial arthropod and disease organisms.
4) Implementation of sustainable management practices that reduce pesticide risk/use.
5) Conservation of biological control organisms in orchard agro-ecosystem.

Collaborators: