Northeast Vegetable IPM Working Group

Vegetable and Strawberry IPM Educator Exchange Program

Call for summer field travel applications: Apply by July 30 for travel that will take place before September 1, 2008!

Would you like to visit another state to see the field work that is being done in Vegetable or Strawberry IPM? Do you wish you had funds to get to a twilight meeting, field day, or spend a few days with a colleague in another state in the Northeast or another region? The Northeast Vegetable IPM Working Group, funded by the Northeastern IPM Center, offers an Educator Exchange Program that will pay up to $800 for qualified expenses to help agricultural professionals in the Northeast learn about and share integrated pest management practices in vegetables and strawberries.

The application process is simple. Write an application letter and state your work or job, how your travel will help you learn about IPM and how you will share what you learn with growers back at home. Funds are available for agriculture professionals in the private sector as well as those who work for public universities. For complete information on how to apply, see the Request for Applications below.

Educator Exchange RFA - .pdf file

Educator Exchange RFA - MS Word .doc file

Vegetable IPM Working Group Unites with NRCS

NRCS & IPM Website

In December 2005, the Vegetable IPM Working Group met in Harrisburg with representatives of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to explore how NRCS and IPM can work together to help protect resources through the use of environmentally responsible pest control tactics. An outcome of this meeting was a commitment to launch a website that can help people who are interested in learning more about how NRCS practices dovetail with IPM: NortheastIPM.org/nrcs.cfm

Upcoming On-Farm Workshops for Vegetable Growers, NRCS Staff, and Others

This summer, the Northeastern IPM Center's Vegetable Working Group is once again teaming up with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to offer workshops where growers can learn how to minimize environmental impacts while improving crop yield and pest control. IPM and NRCS professionals are also participating in these events to learn about each other's work and help growers reap benefits from the strengths of both of these USDA-funded groups.

IPM programs promote the use of effective, economical pest management practices that reduce risks to the environment and human health. NRCS offers financial incentives to growers whose farming practices reduce nonpoint source pollution to protect water, air, and soil quality. In many cases, conservation and IPM practices overlap, giving growers an opportunity to benefit economically from using practices that protect the environment while managing pests.

Workshops are being held this summer in Maine, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. For more information, please see specific contacts for each event:

NRCS IPM TRAINING, July 15, 2008, Thomas Farm, E. Corinth, ME
Contact Alice Begin (alice.begin@me.usda.gov) to register.

VEGETABLE GROWERS TWILIGHT MEETING, July 15, 2008, 5:30-8:00 p.m., Thomas Farm, E. Corinth, ME
This meeting will focus on how to apply for NRCS funds to support IPM adoption. Contact Kathy Murray (kathy.murray@maine.gov, 207-287-7616) for more information.

NRCS IPM TRAINING, July 22, 2008, Kosinski Farm, Westfield, MA
Contact Ruth Hazzard (rhazzard@umext.umass.edu) or Tom Akin (thomas.akin@ma.usda.gov) for more information.

VEGETABLE GROWERS FIELD DAY, August 14, 2008, Penn State Univ. Southeast Ag. Research and Extension Center, Manheim, PA
This event will include a presentation by NRCS on how to apply for conservation funds to support adoption of IPM. Contact Tim Elkner (tee2@psu.edu) for more information.

Mission statement
The mission of the Northeast Vegetable IPM Working Group is to foster the development and use of IPM as a means to achieve ecological and economic sustainability of vegetable farms in the Northeast.

Goals of the Northeast Vegetable IPM Working Group
1. Identify and prioritize regional vegetable and strawberry IPM needs, in particular gaps in research, extension and regulation.

2. Represent the views of vegetable and strawberry farmers and other stakeholders to the Northeast IPM Center.

3. Develop, facilitate or implement appropriate research and educational projects that address work group priorities.

4. Strengthen partnerships and exchange of information among vegetable farmers, agricultural professionals, and other stakeholders throughout the Northeast region.

We adhere to definitions of IPM and the goals expressed in the National IPM Roadmap and the IPM Center’s mission statement.

Developed at the 2005 meeting in Harrisburg, PA