Plant pathologist Jaime Cummings has joined the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program (NYSIPM) as its field crops and livestock coordinator, with the goal of reducing environmental, health and economic risks for farmers across the state.
With New York agriculture booming, and its long-established presence as a major dairy state, thousands of farms and dairies depend on Cornell expertise. When Keith Waldron retired after three decades with NYSIPM, he left big barn boots to fill.
Enter one very capable candidate with multiple awards for innovation.
A native New Yorker, Cummings’ path included degrees from Broome Community College, SUNY ESF, and Washington State University. She led Monsanto’s soybean pathology team and has authored over forty crop-related publications.
Cummings, a certified crop advisor, will travel the state in this new role, something she’s familiar with after six years with the field crop pathology program led by Gary Bergstrom, professor and chair of the Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology Section in the School of Integrative Plant Science. That role provided her with experience working with many growers and Cooperative Extension educators across New York.
“We have always counted on Jaime for assistance and expect she’ll continue to be extremely responsive to our farm support needs," said Mike Hunter, field crop specialist at CCE’s North Country Ag Team.
“Farmers are hungry for more ways to grow their crops ecologically and profitably. Jaime is getting right to work, assessing needs and opportunities for IPM," said Jennifer Grant, director of NYSIPM.
Cummings started July 2, and has an office on Cornell’s Ithaca campus. She can be reached by email at jc2246 [at] cornell.edu (jc2246[at]cornell[dot]edu).
Debra E. Marvin is community IPM program assistant at the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program
