IPM News and Events Roundup 8/27/2021
A weekly collection of IPM news, webinars, employment and funding opportunities and more from the NE IPM Center. If you have IPM-related research, events or other IPM news you would like to have included, please email me at nec2@cornell.edu. If you would like to subscribe to the weekly Roundup, please email northeastipm@cornell.edu. Past Roundups are archived here.
Tagged with Tracker, Asian giant hornet leads Washington state Dept of Agriculture workers to nest
Washington state agriculture workers have discovered their first Asian giant hornet nest. It was found Thursday morning north of Seattle near the Canadian border not far from where a resident saw a live Asian giant hornet on Aug. 11, The Bellingham Herald reported. State agriculture staff then netted, tagged with a tracker and released three of hornets, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Agriculture. One slipped out of the tracking device, another hornet was never located and one eventually led the team to the nest, officials said.
The Central Issue, Newsletter of the North Central IPM Center, is out.
Updates on pests active this season, EPA updates and Working group updates.
The Northeast Regional Center for Vector-Borne Diseases newsletter is out this week.
Pay particular attention to the new pamphlet “How to protect your Livestock and Farm from Asian Longhorned Tick”, the second item. Lots of other tick items there, and lots more.
PestTalks blog by JC Chong this week includes a section on webinars for box tree moth as well as a list of insecticides registered for caterpillars.
He is always interesting!
EPA is banning chlorpyrifos after 14 years of pressure
On Aug. 18, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will end use of chlorpyrifos – a pesticide associated with neurodevelopmental problems and impaired brain function in children – on all food products nationwide. Gina Solomon, a principal investigator at the Public Health Institute, clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco and former deputy secretary at the California Environmental Protection Agency, explains the scientific evidence that led California to ban chlorpyrifos in 2020 and why the EPA is now following suit.
While it is banned on food crops, chlorpyrifos is still available for nursery and greenhouse use. See the first article in the Acres Online newsletter for more on this.
“What about ornamentals? I asked several of my pesticide expert friends and colleagues for some insights. Steve Larson, Nursery & Greenhouse Crop Specialist for Bayer, offered up a detailed analysis of chlorpyrifos and said I could share it”.
Farmers react to Chlorpyrifos ban
Chlorpyrifos is used on a variety of agricultural crops, including soybeans, fruit and nut trees, and vegetables. It’s particularly valued among peanut farmers, who use it to combat the damaging southern corn rootworm, also known as the spotted cucumber beetle. Adult beetles lay eggs in peanut fields, and the larvae burrow into the ground to feed on peanut pods, said Dr. Sally Taylor, associate professor of field crop entomology and a Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist.
Invasive Species:
Spotted Lanternfly News is heating up as the adult season is upon us
Virginia experiencing significant Spotted Lanternfly Spread
In the Winchester area, the presence of the spotted lanternfly is “well-established,” Mark Supthin said, and the insects have been “quite bothersome” this year for many residents, businesses and farmers. He said grape crops are the primary concern. Mark is a Virginia Cooperative Extension agriculture and natural resources horticulture agent based in Frederick County. This summer, the spotted lanternfly has been found in two Frederick County vineyards.
APHIS Issues Spotted Lanternfly Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment
On August 20, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced its completion of a draft supplemental environmental assessment of the Spotted Lanternfly Control Program in the mid-Atlantic Region, North Carolina, Ohio, and Kentucky. The draft assessment includes the June 2020 activities in addition to recommending the use of ground-based mist blowers—which utilize a motorized fan to propel insecticide through a nozzle—on railways, train yards, and rail terminals with multiple types of transportation in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.
an invasive pest from Asia. First found in New York State on Staten Island in August 2020, the population has now been observed in all NYC boroughs.
For States Dealing with the Spotted Lanternfly, the Policy is No Mercy
The need to stamp out the bug will grow even more urgent next month, when the adults must feed voraciously to reproduce so they can lay eggs around October and November, said Julie Urban, an evolutionary biologist in the Penn State entomology department who has studied lanternflies for two decades.
Research:
Invaders for sale: The ongoing spread of invasive species by the plant trade industry
Researchers discovered that cogongrass and nearly 1,300 other invasive plants are currently being sold in nurseries, garden centers and online retailers around the country. A number of these species are banned by the Federal Noxious Weed Act, as well as by state regulations. Article here.
New ways to estimate climate change impacts on agriculture
Most scientists agree climate change has a profound impact on U.S. agricultural production. But estimates vary widely, making it hard to develop mitigation strategies. Two agricultural economists at the University of Illinois take a closer look at how choice of statistical methodology influences climate study results. They also propose a more accurate and place-specific approach to data analysis. Article here.
Mosquito Control Priorities in Florida – Survey Results from Florida Mosquito Control Districts
Our data highlight the fact that mosquito control approaches and priorities differ greatly between districts and provide an important point of comparison for other regions investing in mosquito control, particularly those with similar ecological settings, and great diversity of potential mosquito vectors, such as in Florida. Our findings highlight a need for greater alignment of research priorities between mosquito control and mosquito research. In particular, we note a need to prioritize filling knowledge gaps relating to understudied mosquito species that have been implicated in arbovirus transmission. Article here.
Within the United States, this species has a discontinuous distribution, widespread east of the Rocky Mountains and with a few populations west of the Rockies. Phylogenetic evidence based on individual markers or relatively small data sets has suggested that populations at both sides of this geographic barrier may correspond to two different species. In this study, we further explore this hypothesis using an integrative taxonomy framework. Article here.
Webinars, Conferences, Meetings and more:
New York State IPM Program First Friday webinar series – Fruit Flies – Don’t Bother Me!, Sept 3 12noon ET
GrowerTalks Webinars Sept 8 and 23, 1pm ET
Building Better Rotation Programs for Troublesome Diseases, Sept 8- the basics of proper fungicide selection and how to build robust rotation programs to control root and crown diseases, foliar diseases and Botrytis. The Best Strategies for Fine-Tuning the Growing Process Sept 23- explore how to identify the most problematic variables in your growing environment, and the best practices to ensure you're being as efficient as possible.
Plant Health Care Spotted Lanternfly Seminar for Professionals, Sept 8, 2-5pm, Greater Philly Expo Center, Valley Forge, PA (in person)
Join us to learn about the lifecycle and spread of spotted lantern fly. Understand how predictive behavior helps determine whether or not to treat, and which treatment methods and strategies in an IPM program will have maximum impact. Then hear from Arborjet, ArborSystems, J.J. Mauget, Quest Products, and Rainbow Tree Care Scientific about the treatments they offer for spotted lantern fly management. Brian Walsh Is a Penn State Extension Horticulture educator tasked with identifying and testing control tactics and techniques to manage spotted lantern fly. Jon Schach, BCMA and Operations Manager with Good’s Tree and Lawn Care Inc. has been involved with Spotted Lanternfly mitigation efforts since 2017.
ArborExpo 2021, Sept 8-10, Greater Philly Expo Center, Valley Forge, PA (in person)
Indoor/Outdoor trade show and conference for arborists and more.
Penn State Forest Webinar series, Sept 14-Dec 14, 12noon ET
The Pennsylvania Forest Webinar Series will be offered monthly starting this September and running through June 2022. This webinar series covers a variety of topics, such as forest and wildlife management, water conservation, wood products, legacy planning, and more.
Berry Production Workshops, Sept 15 4-6pm, Stephentown & Kennedy, NY
Join University of Vermont ag engineer Chris Callahan, Dale Ila Riggs owner of The Berry Patch and Laura McDermott of CCE ENYCHP for a two hour review of Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) management techniques. We'll cover the basics of SWD monitoring of adult and larvae populations and also discuss implementing a pesticide program. The program will focus on what has been learned about designing an exclusion netting support system that provides long term control of SWD and maximum utility for berry farmers. Exclusion netting is being used on field blueberries where it controls SWD while also excluding birds and moderating impacts of hail and heavy rain. Raspberries and strawberries also benefit from exclusion netting on the sides of high tunnels.
Radically Rural Summit, Sept 22-23, Walpole, NH
Radically Rural builds sustainability and success for rural life and places by building a network that connects people to each other and to new ideas. The annual Radically Rural Summit is divided into seven different program tracks that feature topics offering strategic opportunities for transformation in rural communities. They are excited to once again organize the Land & Community Track at the 2021 Radically Rural Summit, being offered as a live event in Keene or virtually, September 22-23rd, 2021.
Green Industry Update Webinars for 2021
These thirteen presentations are in an on-demand webinar format for a low-cost, convenient way to learn about current trends and issues for green industry professionals. Participants can watch the presentation, then take a short online quiz. At the end of the quiz, you will receive your score and it is recorded and submitted to PDA.
Employment Opportunities:
Fruition Seeds has two open positions. Fruition Seeds is located in the Finger Lakes that produces and sells organic seeds
Farm Manager, full time, all year. This position will be a key leadership team member, managing all aspects of the farm operation including seed production, trials, breeding, and orchard management of a ¼ acre demonstration and trial orchard.
Farm and Seedhouse Assistant, full time, all year. This position will be a key team member, supporting all aspects of the farm operation and ensuring our community receives their orders promptly and accurately during the winter season. You’ll be filling orders, packing seeds, taking phone orders, as well as packing hardgoods and organizing inventory.
Green Shield Certified® Evaluator, IPM Institute of North America, New York, NY
The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Institute of North America seeks an evaluator to audit Green Shield Certified® pest control companies. If you are familiar with regulations and policies impacting pest management and are able to identify common structural pest problems, we’d love to hear from you. Your role will allow you to visit Green Shield Certified® pest control companies in the New York metro area. Your on-boarding experience includes one-on-one training with Dr. Thomas Green, a world-renown entomologist, IPM expert and co-founder and president of the IPM Institute. Further, your audits and reporting will be supported by the dedicated staff of our community IPM team at our headquarters in Madison, WI. This is a contracted opportunity that will require approximately 8-16 hours per month.
Funding Opportunities:
New Funding source from USDA-NIFA – Farm of the Future
Farm of the Future is a competitive grant program that will be implemented by USDA NIFA to establish an agricultural test bed and demonstration site. It seeks to launch this rural test bed for precision agriculture, smart automation, data connectivity and transfer, and to demonstrate best practices in climate-smart agriculture, forestry, and animal production systems that enhance sustainability and farm profitability. The test bed will evaluate digital and smart technologies to provide accessible, data-driven solutions that support resilient agricultural and value-added practices. Proposals due October 15.
USDA-NRCS Conservation Outreach: Racial Equity and Justice Conservation Cooperative Agreements
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing up to $50 million in cooperative agreements to support historically underserved farmers and ranchers with climate-smart agriculture and forestry. The Racial Justice and Equity Conservation Cooperative Agreements are available to entities for two year projects that expand the delivery of conservation assistance to farmers who are beginning, limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers. Proposals due Oct 25.