2023-2024 Education Highlights
New York State Integrated Pest Management 2023–2024 Annual Report
Course Aims to Increase Orchard Health, Economic Vitality
Ask any of New York’s more than 700 orchard owners, and they’ll tell you, apples aren’t the only things found on fruit trees.
Pests are a common fixture in orchards, causing thousands of dollars in reduced yields, and in some cases, irreparably damaging trees. A new course, developed by Fruit IPM Specialist Anna Wallis, aims to minimize the impact of pests on orchards by helping owners and workers identify common pest problems before they start.
In collaboration with the Cornell Small Farms Program, Wallis and NYSIPM Technician Hannah Tolz developed, “Tree Fruit Scouting,” a short course that introduces growers, employees and industry professionals to the biology, identification and monitoring of major, economically significant orchard pests. More than 30 people participated in the course’s inaugural offering, where they learned about the fundamentals of IPM in orchards and how to recognize and respond to the major insects, diseases, wildlife and weeds impacting orchard health.
The four-week course was held virtually from February 28 to March 27, 2024 and provided the opportunity for participants to receive New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Pesticide Applicator Recertification Credits. Additional offerings are planned for 2024.
Impact
More than 30 people participated in the course’s inaugural offering, where they learned about the fundamentals of IPM in orchards and how to recognize and respond to the major insects, diseases, wildlife and weeds impacting orchard health.
Related Links
Webinars Introduce New Research, Ideas to Commercial Fruit Growers
In partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Harvest NY, Lake Ontario Fruit Program and Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program, New York State Integrated Pest Management Fruit IPM Specialist Anna Wallis developed a six-part webinar series designed to provide New York’s commercial fruit growers with access and insight into new research and trends in fruit production.
The Cornell Winter Fruit Webinar Series was held weekly from February 16 through March 19, 2024 and included presentations on implementing mating disruption, orchard soil health, hot topics in fruit safety for fruit, weed management and insect and disease pest management for berries, and stone fruit rootstocks and disease management.
Impact
On average, 50 growers and producers attended each webinar and nearly 500 more have already viewed YouTube recordings of the events.
Seminar Series Provides Platform for Research Sharing
For more than 150 years, Cornell University has been recognized as the nexus of interdisciplinary research and education, bringing the world’s foremost scholars and researchers together to develop innovative technologies, resources and strategies for combatting complex global issues, including those related to Integrated Pest Management. In order to build awareness of the groundbreaking work being conducted by our colleagues in Ithaca and at Cornell AgriTech and to encourage adoption of cutting-edge pest management methods, New York State Integrated Pest Management developed its IPM Academic Seminar Series.
From the use of biological methods, such as using fungi to destroy spotted lanternfly eggs and leveraging hummingbirds to reduce numbers of spotted wing drosophila in berry crops, to physical pest management techniques like thermal or mechanical methods as alternatives to chemical-based pest control, NYSIPM’s Academic Seminars bring the brightest minds in IPM together to tackle a full spectrum of topics related to pest control.
Speakers have also shared insight on using advanced digital IPM tools like weather-based pest forecasting and eDNA in the early detection of insect pests, presented new research on the biology of pests like bed bugs, spongy moth and urban ants and offered strategies for improving pest control in schools and municipalities.
While many of the Seminar’s speakers and participants are affiliated with Cornell, the virtual format of the program’s have drawn regional, national and international attendees, with post-seminar informal meet-and-greet sessions strengthening the IPM network and leading to increased opportunities for collaboration.
Recordings of several of the Seminars can be found on NYSIPM’s YouTube Channel.
From the Ground Up: Growing New York’s Cut Flower Industry
New York’s cut flower industry is in full bloom, with the 2019 State Census of Agriculture counting 122 operations and $2.7 million in sales.
Thanks to newfound interest from growers, and a healthy consumer appetite for the many species and cultivars being produced, NYSIPM’s Ornamental IPM Specialist Elizabeth Lamb recognized a need for collecting information related to pest management best practices that could be shared among industry insiders.
“There is no one specifically looking at pest management, and in particular IPM for cut flowers, at Cornell,” Lamb said. “And, I haven’t found anyone else at other universities in New York State.”
As a result, Lamb started doing cut flower IPM programming—six programs this period, including a collaboration with the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, have drawn 180 attendees, with 80 additional views of program recordings. To expand the reach, she also worked to establish a Cut Flower Program Work Team to integrate and engage Cornell Cooperative Extension educators who have cut flower growers within their service areas. The Team currently has 26 members and is working to develop cut flower programming for 2024.
Additionally, Lamb worked with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County to create a position for an intern at their cut flower demonstration farm, where they will explore the potential for native plants as cut flowers, including documentation of disease and insect pests.
With the wholesale value of cut flowers recently expanding by 1.5 times for operations of $100,000 or more, there’s a track record of growth potential for those entering the cut flower market, and NYSIPM is helping to ensure that producers have the tools and resources they need to create beautiful, healthy blooms for years to come.
Local cut flower growers show their stuff at the Delaware CCE Cut Flower Conference.
Local cut flower growers show their stuff at the Delaware CCE Cut Flower Conference.
Local cut flower growers show their stuff at the Delaware CCE Cut Flower Conference.
PSEP Provides Ingredients for Pest-free Food Facilities
There are few places where sanitary, pest-free conditions are more important than food facilities, and our Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) once again helped to keep food production, distribution, and retail facilities safe with its annual Ronald D. Gardner Food Processing Pest Management Workshop.
The Workshop held February 6 and 7 in Henrietta, NY, provided more than 75 commercial pesticide applicators with strategies, tools and resources to effectively prevent and manage pest problems. Industry experts and educators offered insight on managing pests in organic food facilities and the biology and management of rodents, common stored product pests, and ants. Attendees also learned about pest exclusion and sanitation, food safety inspections, structural and commodity fumigation, and more.
Guest speakers included New York State Integrated Pest Management Associate Director for Community and Urban IPM Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, who discussed the unique challenges and approaches to managing pests in schools.
Representatives from 14 businesses and agencies serving the pest control industry interacted with attendees in the Workshop’s Exhibit Hall, which included booths highlighting proper pest management and innovative new products and technologies.
Dan Wixted speaking at the annual Ronald D. Gardner Food Processing Pest Management Workshop.
Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann discussed the unique challenges and approaches to managing pests in schools at the Ronald D. Gardner Food Processing Pest Management Workshop.
About the 2023-2024 Annual Report
Published by New York State Integrated Pest Management August 2024.
Design/Layout: Jody Benedict
Content/Editing: Carrie Carmenatty