Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/31248
IPM in peril Budget gap threatened long-standing New York IPM program. by Richard Lehnert F or nearly 40 years, integrated pest management has been the hall- mark of progressive thinking in fruit production and agriculture generally. If you used IPM, you were on the cutting edge. So imagine how surprised New York growers were when state funding for the New York IPM program was slashed in half two years ago and threatened with extinction this year. Notices went out in January telling faculty at Cornell Univer- sity that the IPM program would end March 31 and giving those affected the required six-month notice that their jobs could end in July. In the end, the legislature plugged the $9 billion New York budget gap while restoring some IPM funding, and the remains of the program are secure for the next year. Some state funding was restored because of an outbreak of bed- bugs in New York City—where con- stituents reminded politicians they didn’t want those bugs and they wanted controls that wouldn’t endanger their health. “IPM is not a product, and it’s hard to sell.” —Curt Petzoldt They joined other stakeholders in protesting the cuts to IPM. Still, Curt Petzoldt, an assistant direc- ATTENTION CHERRY GROWERS THE NUTRI-CAL DIFFERENCE it’s “NOT JUST ANOTHER CALCIUM” ® PRODUCE MORE PREMIUM GRADE CHERRIES % MARKETABLE GRADES OF RAINIER CHERRIES 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 76.75 55.5 38.0 22.25 6.5 PREMIUM 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 0 5 MEDIUM 1.0 CULLS % RAINIER CHERRIES BY SIZE GRADE 41.25 33.5 33.5 24.75 19 17.75 13.25 4.5 8.5 9 9.5 10 NUTRI-CAL UNTREATED 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 50.75 35.25 19.0 14.0 1.25 PREMIUM Size 8.5 = 31.53 mm Size 9.0 = 29.76 mm Size 9.5 = 28.16 mm Size 10 = 26.59 mm 1000 1040 1080 1120 1160 1200 MEDIUM CULLS RAINIER CHERRY WEIGHT (GRAMS/100 CHERRIES) 1163.5 % MARKETABLE GRADES OF BING CHERRIES 79.75 NUTRI-CAL UNTREATED tor of the New York IPM program and a vegetable IPM specialist himself, is not sure about the future of IPM. “The knowledge base in IPM is criti- cal,” he said. “That set of IPM principles has to remain. But IPM is not a product, and it’s hard to sell. “When IPM began, the emphasis was to provide broader pest control methods than just pesticides. But the winds have shifted. People are now looking for the elimination of pesticides. So more federal money is going toward sustainable agriculture and organic production.” Will IPM find itself a part of these pro- grams rather than a program itself? That question appears open for discussion. Evolution Petzoldt, in an interview with Good Fruit Grower, described the evolution of IPM in New York, which began with fed- eral funding for apples in 1973, the year after formation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The program was a direct result of the agency’s formation, but was also an indirect result of public reac- tion in the aftermath of Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, a decade earlier. The search began for softer pesticides, 1064.5 UNTREATED Ron Britt & Associates, Yakima, WA 2003 Applicaton Rate of 2 Quarts Per Acre. Applications Begin at Petal Fall. PRODUCE FIRMER, HIGHER QUALITY CHERRIES FIRMNESS EVALUATION OF RAINIER CHERRIES 240 245 250 255 260 265 270 275 NUTRI-CAL UNTREATED 253 g 269 g Grams force to squeeze skin 1 mm BRIX QUALITY OF RAINIER CHERRIES If you want the best return for your money, ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE! Nutri-Cal is only sold under the Nutri-Cal label. Make Sure You Always Ask For: NUTRI--CAL ® 14 MAY 15, 2011 GOOD FRUIT GROWER Contact Walt Grigg at 509-952-7558 . . . THE CALCIUM SOLUTION www.nutri-cal.com 16.0 16.5 17.0 17.5 18.0 18.5 19.0 NUTRI-CAL UNTREATED 17.0% 18.2% 18.0 18.5 19.0 19.5 20.0 20.5 21.0 220 225 230 235 240 FIRMNESS EVALUATION OF BING CHERRIES 237.49 g NUTRI-CAL UNTREATED NUTRI-CAL beneficial insects, predator and prey interactions, targeted applications that killed pests without killing predators and flaring mites, and practices that had fewer negative environmental impacts. Today, the Cornell “worksheet” outlining IPM practices for apples covers six pages on planting systems; management of soils, crops, and groundcover; control of insects, diseases, and vertebrate pests; harvest and storage practices; spray methods and management; and other topics. There are dozens of fact sheets and 226.26 g Grams force to squeeze skin 1 mm BRIX QUALITY OF BING CHERRIES NUTRI-CAL UNTREATED 20.33% IPM materials available on several Web sites, and the New York IPM program is the driving force behind the statewide agricultural weather network. In New York, the IPM program grew as 18.83% federal funding increased. Vegetable IPM was added in 1975. State funding began in about 1985 when new programs were added in field crops, livestock, and ornamentals. “In the middle 1990s, the USDA began Ron Britt & Associates, Yakima, WA 2003 to think more broadly about the applica- tion of IPM principles,” Petzoldt said. New York received federal funds to start a pro- gram called Community IPM, where inte- grated pest management practices were applied in landscapes, schools, golf courses, and homes. One Long Island leg- islator, a firm believer in the program, backed its state funding at $400,000 a year. www.goodfruit.com