Advisory Committee

Publications

Newsletters

On-Farm Research

Project Management

Overview

Introduction

Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Whatcom County received a state grant to assist the agricultural community in the adoption of an Integrated Pest Management(IPM) approach to solving pest problems in the Nooksack watershed which is wholly located within Whatcom County, Washington. This is a 3 year project, funded annually from 1995 through December, 1997. This project has now been extended through June 1999. The major goals of this project are to increase IPM awareness in the agricultural community and to adopt crop-specific IPM practices that will stay with the agricultural industry. The target crops for this project are raspberries and apples. Some growers and consultants are interested in, and have begun to increase their adoption of IPM practices. This grant provides us with the opportunity to further develop IPM tactics that are practical for the grower and that optimize pesticide use through improved decision-making in regards to spray needs, timing, and selection of materials.

Project Accomplishments

EDUCATION

Formed a broad-based advisory committee comprising members of the agricultural industry, the environmental community, local and state agencies, and research and education faculty at Washington State University. Their focus has been to identify IPM educational material needs and methods of delivery, and to develop a strategy to evaluate the project.

Establishment of an IPM forum for growers, Feldman, researchers and extension personnel to informally discuss pest management strategies during the growing season. This has been accomplished through monthly breakfast meetings for raspberry and apple growers.

On-farm demonstrations to educate growers regarding pest and beneficial insect identification, IPM sampling techniques, and decision-making. Sampling equipment has been constructed at grower workshops or purchased and made available to growers at cost.

Established a system of field temperature data loggers as a practical and educational tool. Loggers are downloaded weekly and used to assist growers in managing lepidopteran pests through a phone recording which is updated weekly. This and other pest information is also made available to growers through a monthly seasonal newsletter called "Pest Notes From the Field".

Written an introductory IPM manual titled: Integrated Pest Management, Decision-Making Tools for Farmers - Coping with Pest Variability, 1996. This is an overview of IPM principles highlighting locally developed IPM methods and farmer testimonials to introduce non-users to the concept and practicality of IPM. Crop-specific sampling and decision-making manuals are underway for raspberries and apples.

RESEARCH IDENTIFICATION AND FACILITATION

Convened industry meetings where IPM related research needs were identified and communicated to industry commissions and university researchers. This has resulted in new projects which focus on biorational methods for controlling key pests and conserving natural enemies.

Project lead to the development of an industry supported satellite WSU research station which is located on a commercial raspberry farm. This facility provides a base of operations for research scientists, graduate and doctoral students, and the Nooksack IPM Project to conduct field research.

Provided technical assistance to growers for on-farm research projects. Second year of investigating field releases of predator mites as a biological control tactic for managing spider mites in raspberries. Assisted growers in their efforts to fund on-farm IPM research through the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture and Education (SARE) Farmer/Rancher Research Grant Program.

PROJECT EVALUATION

A pre-project grower survey was designed and completed by raspberry growers. It has provided valuable information on current pest management practices and grower attitudes of IPM. It was repeated in December, 1997