Farm-based Findings

We want to make pest management better for growers.

Ultimately, the adoption of IPM practices doesn’t happen in a vacuum and it certainly doesn’t happen just because a researcher published an article.* We help create the tools and programs to facilitate the use of IPM in agriculture.

IPM implementation: Easier said than done.

During my time at Cornell Agritech, I was fortunate to spend time with growers implementing insecticide resistance management (IRM) practices on the farm. IRM practices that improve the sustainability of agricultural production systems are often developed, but few studies address the challenges with their implementation and success rates of adoption. Often, we assume that education equates to the adoption of management practices. In reality, growers may avoid certain management practices because the tactic seems time-consuming, expensive, or unreliable. In a three year project, we addressed some of the challenges growers face when implementing IPM/IRM practices on the farm. We collaborated with growers across New York state to examine the efficacy of an extension-based program to increase the adoption of insecticide class rotation and use of action thresholds.

*at least that hasn’t happened yet. ;)