In 2010, the Northeastern IPM Center has awarded more than $400,000 to support research and outreach projects in northeastern states through the IPM Partnership Grants Program.

Greenhouses extend the growing season and increase profits for northeastern growers, but they also create ideal conditions for pest outbreaks. Guardian plants may help trap pests and shelter beneficial insects.

Penn State adapts early warning system for key pests, new crops. Pest forecasting models are a powerful tool, but high-tech early-warning systems require significant investment and expertise. To save costs, PA IPM researchers have adapted an existing online system.

Fresh ideas and strong relationships keep farm vibrant. Family farmer Don Dzen is convinced that expanding his use of IPM was a smart decision: “Each year there’s been something that paid for itself, something we were missing before.”

Five years ago, bacterial canker was a growing threat to New Jersey’s $28 million fresh market tomato industry. IPM researchers have introduced growers to a seed heat treatment that eliminates seed as the primary inoculum source.

Can these natural enemies slow the invasion? IPM programs in the Northeast have enlisted the help of two beetle species to slow the spread of purple loosestrife, and they find that these insects can significantly inhibit the weed’s growth.

Researchers, educators, consultants, and growers are working to synthesize current knowledge and create an advanced IPM system that could enhance profits and sustainability.

The 2009 growing season will be remembered for its widespread outbreak of late blight. Gardeners and farmers can prepare now for a healthy crop next year.

... especially when locally grown. Rice production is alluring both to locavores and to growers seeking ways to get production from marginal lands.

Schools embrace IPM for all the right reasons: Children are more vulnerable than adults to both pests and pesticides, either of which can trigger asthma, the leading chronic illness in U.S. children.

Seed companies put IPM researchers’ findings to use: Growers now have access to new tomato varieties that resist some of the most threatening tomato diseases and can be grown in ways that are gentler to the environment.

Maine’s Potato IPM Program made great strides in 2008, saving growers $17 million while minimizing pesticide usage. This is big news in a state where potatoes are the top agricultural commodity, valued at more than $500 million.

In 2009, the Northeastern IPM Center awarded nearly $390,000 to support the following research and outreach projects in northeastern states.

Northeastern golf courses put IPM to work: Turf managers need strategies to comply with new mandates, lessen environmental impacts, and continue to attract players in a competitive industry.

The Green-Blue Grants Program disbursed $12,500 to promote clean water through residential IPM. Nearly 1,000 homeowners and lawn care professionals in six states received direct training through this program.

Growers, scientists, and marketers have successfully boosted the market for IPM-grown apples through their collaborations in the Northeast.

Urban pests like cockroaches and mice can trigger asthma, contaminate food, and damage buildings. They can also cause stress and lead people to misuse pesticides.

Nearly 400 northeastern growers and NRCS staff have attended on-farm workshops aimed at improving growers’ ability to earn financial incentives for managing pests in ways that protect the environment.