We tend to default to bugs — to insects — when we think about pests. But plant diseases and weeds are pests too. And all threaten our fields and farms, our forests and streams, our homes and workplaces. Pests provide no end of challenges — especially pests that come from afar. Among IPM’s strengths? Researching…Continue Reading Invasives are pests! Learn more at our July IPM conference.
Climate, Weather, Data: Crops and Landscapes
With all the talk about climate change you might wonder how it will affect food production, pests, and even landscapes—and what you can do about it. From the Valentine’s Day massacre winter freeze to plant life gasping for water, changing weather patterns have affected our crops all over the Northeast. Learn how gathering information on…Continue Reading Climate, Weather, Data: Crops and Landscapes
Hiring Now: Four New NYS IPM Posts
The New York State IPM Program seeks four new staff to amplify our IPM outreach and research for farms and communities around New York. Here are the positions (three of them new) we seek to fill: Biocontrol Specialist (Extension Associate) Alternative Weed Management Specialist (Extension Associate) Coordinator for the Network for Environment and Weather Applications…Continue Reading Hiring Now: Four New NYS IPM Posts
IPM Accolades: What Do Growers Say?
If you flash back to last week’s TAg post, you’ll see our side of the story — how TAg teams provide hands-on help to growers for a host of pest (and profit) issues. But what do growers say? Here’s a small sample of the pleased comments we’ve received over the years: How TAg has made…Continue Reading IPM Accolades: What Do Growers Say?
IPM TAg Teams: A Quarter Century Later, What’s Old Is New Again
The NYS IPM Program turns 30 this year — a great time for a look down memory lane. We were five years old, for instance, when we began our TAg — Tactical Agriculture — teams for field crop producers. Then (and now!), TAg teams across the state met at key times during the cropping season:…Continue Reading IPM TAg Teams: A Quarter Century Later, What’s Old Is New Again
DIY “Strip-Trials” for IPM On-Farm Research
Field corn is the king of crops in New York. This highest net-value and most widely grown crop occupies more than a million acres statewide. Some years it’s hammered by leaf blights that can cost considerably if not treated in time. Other years your crops get off almost unscathed. So — how to know which…Continue Reading DIY “Strip-Trials” for IPM On-Farm Research
The Cutworms Are Coming
Western bean cutworm — call it WBC for short — is a new pest to us, though farmers in the Midwest and Canada have been battling it for several years. Since field corn contributes $685 million to New York’s economy while sweet corn rings in at $68 million, we can’t take this threat lightly. These…Continue Reading The Cutworms Are Coming
Keep Records on Pests
They’re back! Insect pests, plant diseases, weeds, birds, biting flies — the works. And tracking them year to year is critical. How better to know your options are, this year and in years to come? So pick up a pencil, smart phone or tablet and write them down on a field-to-field or livestock basis. Write…Continue Reading Keep Records on Pests
Eastward Ho!
Critters that did little damage before agriculture replaced natural ecosystems can prove tough customers when provided easy access to hundreds of thousands of acres of their favorite food. Even so, sometimes such pests are content to stay on their home turf until … until …. The western bean cutworm (WBC for short) is a High…Continue Reading Eastward Ho!