Integrating Organic Crop Management Practices with Permitted Pest Control Materials: IPM for Organic Farms

Integrating Organic Crop Management Practices with Permitted Pest Control Materials: IPM for Organic Farms

Summary

The major objective of this project will be to produce a second edition of the 2005 “Resource Guide for Organic Insect and Disease Management”, which will be an update and include chapters on four new crop families. A key to our approach this time will be to work with farmers through farm visits and group meetings to assess their perspective on the efficacy of both cultural practices and materials recommended in the first edition of the Guide. Since we recognize that what works in field trials may not always be what works on the farm, we plan to visit and/or interview twenty farmers and host three small group meetings across the region for those who have been using the Guide as a reference. In addition to assessing recommendations made in the first edition we will also be able to obtain suggestions about the format and content of the new edition of the Guide.

We have designed a survey to be used when interviewing farmers and at farmer meetings. Individual farmer interviews have begun and the form has proved to work well. Three farmer group meetings are planned and more may be added if we deem necessary. The meetings will be at PASA’s (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) 18th Farming for the Future Conference (February 5-7, 2009, State College, Pennsylvania), University of New Hampshire Extension’s Organic Producers Meeting (January 22, 2009 Littleton, New Hampshire and January 23, 2009, Portsmouth, New Hampshire), and at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Certified Growers meeting (January 27, 2009, Unity, Maine and February 3, 2009, Freeport, Maine).

Objectives/Performance Targets

Of the 20 farmers involved with trainings and assessment of the Resource Guide, 10 will refine their production practices to eliminate or reduce pesticide use. Of the 100 farmers and educators who receive free copies of the revised Resource Guide, 25 will adopt or recommend new cultural practices that reduce pesticide use, and an additional 25 will change a pesticide material to one with less negative impact on the agroecosystem.

Accomplishments/Milestones

At this time the first milestone is being addressed during our meetings with individual farmers and at farmer meetings where they are providing feedback on successes and failures they have experienced implementing cultural practices and/or materials recommended in the initial Resource Guide.

Collaborators: