Gorgeous in flight and gloriously colored, monarch butterflies are the glimmering icon of wild nature. As an endangered species, they’re also iconic of all we have to lose in a changing world. And now it’s begun — the remaining monarchs’ first leg of an epic, multigenerational voyage from overwintering sites in Mexico. But are they…Continue Reading The Monarchs Are Coming, Ready or Not.
Earth Day: What It Means to Me — and the IPM Connection
“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together … all things connect.” — attributed to Chief Seattle I’m an environmental educator. Have been one all my life. Among my goals? To erase the…Continue Reading Earth Day: What It Means to Me — and the IPM Connection
Earth Day. It’s Every Day. Especially for Farmers.
For farmers everywhere, but perhaps most of all for organic farmers, every day has to be Earth Day. And since what matters for farmers matters for us all, every day is Earth Day for you, me, everyone. Take farmer Lou Lego. He earned an Excellence in IPM award earlier this year for his inspired, inventive…Continue Reading Earth Day. It’s Every Day. Especially for Farmers.
Every Day is Earth Day — and the IPM Connection
Consider our forests and farms. Our rivers and lakes. And yes, our homes and workplaces. Wherever we live, work or play — when we care for our surroundings, we’re celebrating Earth Day. Belong to a community garden? Got a garden by the house? You can welcome Earth Day by welcoming the critters that make any…Continue Reading Every Day is Earth Day — and the IPM Connection
Earth Day IPM for birds and bees — and native plants that nourish them
We’re starting this post with a detour. But we have little choice. Before you go shopping around for landscape plants, you need to know the backstory. Invasive plants, trees, shrubs, vines and flowers, many of them brought from afar because yes, they’re lovely in the landscape, have become a bit too much of a good…Continue Reading Earth Day IPM for birds and bees — and native plants that nourish them
IPM celebrates Earth Day — the countdown to April 22
By most measures it’s spring in the northern hemisphere. Technicalities count: regardless if you live in snowy Labrador City (pop. 9354; high of 15ºF) or greater Miami, Florida (pop. ~5.5 million and summery 76ºF), the vernal equinox marked the official start to spring. Whether or not the weather concurs with your expectations, of course, depends…Continue Reading IPM celebrates Earth Day — the countdown to April 22
Invasive species New York: save the date for IPM conference
We’re planning a statewide conference covering the A to Z of invasive plants, pathogens and pests that plague our farms, our forests, our homes — us. We’ve got a superb lineup of speakers — along with a wide array of take-home IPM messages from educators at tables in the lobby and two adjacent classrooms. Join…Continue Reading Invasive species New York: save the date for IPM conference
Hundreds of on-farm research trials later, a NYS IPM award for Christy Hoepting
Christy Hoepting grew up on a small farm north of Toronto, Ontario. Enrolling at the University of Guelph, a top-tier ag school, was a natural fit. And though she focused on onion production while earning her master’s degree, she never dreamed she’d make a career of it. But then her advisor told her that a…Continue Reading Hundreds of on-farm research trials later, a NYS IPM award for Christy Hoepting
Happy Cows, More Milk — Organic Dairy Guide en Español
Happy cows. More milk. Now let’s try it in Spanish: Vacas felices. Más leche. Pests can pack a wallop to a dairy farmer’s bottom line, costing between five and 20 percent of lost production. For every 100 cows you’ve got (and most farmers have many more) that can run to the tune of $23,000 to…Continue Reading Happy Cows, More Milk — Organic Dairy Guide en Español
Rat czar Robert (Bobby) Corrigan earns IPM award
For Robert Corrigan the moment was pivotal. Enchanted from childhood by the story of iconic oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Corrigan enrolled at the State University of New York at Farmingdale with one dream: to be the next Cousteau. That changed the day biology professor Austin Frishman was a substitute teacher. So riveting was that one class…Continue Reading Rat czar Robert (Bobby) Corrigan earns IPM award