Each year we seek nominees for our Excellence in IPM awards. We look for people who make a difference, whether on farms, in communities, or at research sites across New York; people who care about human and ecological health and resilience. Sometimes the abundance of stellar candidates amazes us. This was one of those years.
Take Peter Ten Eyck. Farmers, legislators, researchers —Ten Eyck is in touch with them all. He practices what he preaches at 320-acre Indian Ladder Farm south of Albany, having used IPM protocols for decades on his organic vegetables and berries — and Eco-Apple certification protocols on his main crop, apples.
“Legendary.” That’s how Cooperative Extension educator Dan Donahue describes Ten Eyck’s insights and influence at the local, regional, and state level, including twelve years of past service as a Cornell University trustee. “Challenges the status quo,” says Juliet Carroll, fruit coordinator with NYS IPM — citing Ten Eyck’s willingness to take risks to protect the environment from needless pesticides. “Inquisitive; outstanding; stays on top of the research — and a good steward of the land,” says Tom Burr, a Cornell professor of plant pathology, citing Ten Eyck’s influence on others ranging from fellow farmers to state legislators. Check him out.