The New York State Integrated Pest Management Program is pleased to announce the arrival of its new Field Crops and Livestock IPM Coordinator, Jaime Cummings.  Cummings’ background is in Plant Pathology, most recently with Cornell’s Field Crops Pathology program, where she focused on field research for disease and mycotoxin management, and diagnostics for statewide disease surveys on all major field crops.  She is also a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) for the northeast region.   Prior to Cornell, she worked as a soybean pathologist at Monsanto, and in vegetable seed pathology at Washington State University.  Cummings commented on her new responsibilities:

“Field crop and livestock producers in NY face many challenges, both new and old.  Each year, the unpredictable weather can result in a different spectrum or intensity of disease and pest issues.  It’s critical to know not only how to address each issue, but also when it’s economically feasible and environmentally responsible to do so.  Through implementing and utilizing pest scouting networks and forecasting technologies, we can better understand the pest levels and their epidemiology, and utilize well defined thresholds for making proper management decisions.

By following the principles of IPM, farmers are able to detect problems early, estimate potential losses, decide on the best course of action and then evaluate the effectiveness of the action for future decisions.  Through this process, wasteful treatments may be avoided and other ‘softer’ approaches may be successful.  That is good for both the environment and the farmer’s bottom line.”

Cummings’ primary office is located on the Ithaca campus in #524 Bradfield; jc2246@cornell.edu; 607-255-1747. She will also be spending significant time in Geneva this summer, and touring the state.