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Grants Awarded for IPM - December 2002

December 17, 2002

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA -- Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences Extension IPM Program recently awarded grants to five Penn State Cooperative Extension units.

Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible.

The IPM Program sought proposals that will facilitate the adoption of environmentally-sound pest management practices by Pennsylvania farmers, rural and urban pest managers, and homeowners/renters. Projects that demonstrated the involvement of team members with expertise in multiple disciplines were outreach oriented, and had multi-county involvement received priority for funding. The program is supported through USDA-CSREES formula funds earmarked for IPM program development.

Each of the successful proposals received up to $5,000. The recipients are:

Biocontrol Seminars and Field Trial - Project leaders Michael Masiuk, Senior Extension Agent, Commercial Horticulture Allegheny County Cooperative Extension; and Guy Metzler, Extension Agent, Commercial Horticulture Armstrong County Cooperative Extension
The project proposes to utilize educational seminars, workshops and a field trial to increase the use of biological controls in the landscape maintenance and greenhouse industries and dispel the many misconceptions associated with their ability to provide adequate control in an economical manner.

Integrated Pest Management Educational Strategies for Producers, Homeowners, and School Districts - Project leaders Patricia Gordon Anderson, Clarion County Cooperative Extension; Jeffrey T. Fowler, Venango County Cooperative Extension; and Louise Rumbaugh, Master Gardener Coordinator, Clarion/Venango Counties
The project will train volunteers in IPM to provide an outreach opportunity for reaching individuals seeking information and assistance in understanding methods in IPM in schools. The project leaders will also work with the Pennsylvania IPM Program to share school IPM resources.

Urban IPM Education: A Model for Reducing Pesticide Impact and Improving Nutrient Management through Point-Of-Purchase (POP) Education - Project Leaders Steve Bogash, Horticulture Agent, Franklin County Cooperative Extension; and Robert Kessler, Agent Franklin County Cooperative Extension
According to project leaders, consumer purchasers of garden chemicals and fertilizers must largely rely on information provided by retail stores or chemical and fertilizer manufacturers for usage information or go out of their way and seek information on their own. This conflict of interest has the potential to encourage excessive use of these products. In addition, point-of-purchase (POP) locations are poorly suited to provide information to assist consumers in understanding how best to meet their pest control and fertilization needs with minimal environmental impact. This project seeks to bridge this gap in Cooperative Extension outreach by providing nutrient management and IPM education directly to consumers at POP locations as well as other non-traditional outreach sites. This ongoing project has already created a positive extension presence to a largely overlooked outreach audience while providing much needed information.

Evaluation of Japanese Knotweed Management Using Integrated Methods - Project leader John R. Holowid, Extension Agent, Integrated Pest Management, Erie County and Northwest Region
Japanese knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum, is an aggressive semi-woody perennial that was introduced from Japan and is spreading throughout Pennsylvania.
Invasive species, because of their aggressive growth characteristics, are replacing less aggressive native species. The project will use grant funds to conduct a pilot study of Japanese knotweed for one year in the Northwest region of the state.

SWAT - A Team Approach towards IPM Education & Control in Animal Production & Food Industries - Project leader Gregory P. Martin, Ph.D., PAS Capital Region Poultry Agent
According to the project leader, an interest group of academia and industry (called SWAT) was formed to provide a quick response effort to communities and industry to promote the use of sound animal IPM through the production of a video, seminars and supporting materials targeted to poultry and dairy producers. Societal acceptance of pest control by the increased use of IPM in animal production by industry after program implementation is the primary goal. The project will use grant funds to produce a video on animal IPM to be distributed to producers.

The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu.