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Northeastern IntegratedPest Management CenterState Network Projects Progress |
NE IPMC uses a competitive grants program to help build and extend its information network. Seven States Network Projects (SNPs) involving all twelve states in the region have been funded. New England’s Pest Management Network (NEPMNet) functions as one project that includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, with the University of Maine as the lead institution. Projects in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and West Virginia work together as the Mid-Atlantic Information Network for Pesticides and Alternative Strategies (MAINPAS). The Pennsylvania project, known as the Pennsylvania Pest Management Information Center (PA PMIC), also cooperates with other states in the region. Project leaders are spearheading efforts to produce commodity-specific pesticide use surveys, crop profiles, and pest management strategic plans (PMSPs). These products are essential in setting research, extension, and regulatory priorities. Each project supports its own web site including news, IPM recommendations for specific crops, directories, communication tools, and updates on regulatory decisions. Links to all these projects can be found on the NE PMC home page, at nepmc.org.
Network
State(s) Leader(s) Affiliation Mid-Atlantic Information Network for Pesticides and Alternative Strategies (MAINPAS)–DE
Delaware Susan Whitney University of DelawareMAINPAS–MD
Maryland Amy Brown University of Maryland MAINPAS–NY
New York George Good Cornell University MAINPAS–WV
West Virginia John Baniecki West Virginia University New Jersey Information
Network for Pesticides and Alternative Strategies
(also part of MAINPAS)
New Jersey George Hamilton Rutgers University New England Pest
Management Network (NEPMNet)
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, Vermont
James F. Dill and Glen Koehler University of Maine Pennsylvania Pest Management Information Center (PA PMIC) Pennsylvania Robert Weaver and Kerry Richards Pennsylvania State University
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New England
(CT,MA,ME,NH,RI,VT)
Leader: Susan Whitney, University of Delaware
WebsiteThe Delaware network project participates with others in MAINPAS on web site development and other cooperative strategies. The Delaware network’s own web site helps to link stakeholders to state and federal contacts and provides information about pesticide issues through its Pesticide Briefs newsletter. MAINPAS–Delaware contributed to the completion of a crop profile for wheat, and network leader Susan Whitney led the effort on the recently completed lima bean PMSP. In 2002, Whitney also attended the Northeast Tri-Agency Meeting and met with the state’s Department of Agriculture to discuss organic farming, drinking water contamination, and pesticide regulations. She serves as the Delaware liaison to the IR-4 Program.
Leader: Amy E. Brown, University of Maryland
WebsiteThe Maryland network places an emphasis on decisions related to the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). To meet this goal, MAINPAS–Maryland works to deliver pesticide regulatory information to extension educators, growers, crop consultants, and pesticide users in the state, and to gather and analyze pest management data to determine the impacts of changes in pesticide regulations on agricultural productivity in Maryland. The program shares this information with other states and regional and federal programs, and it solicits information from other states in the region on shared commodities. Mechanisms for establishing these connections include fact sheets, newsletters, meetings, conferences, web sites, electronic mail, and other forms of communication. MAINPAS–Maryland has completed crop profiles for muskmelons and potatoes. The network leadership meets monthly with the Governor's Pesticide Council. The MAINPAS–MD web site is up and running, using the name “Pesticide Education and Assessment Program (PEAP),” and other communication tools include a monthly newsletter called Pesticide Notes. The network helps with annual revision of the extension bulletin Pest Management Recommendations from Field Crops and is part of the “Just-in-Time” Listserv, which publishes time-sensitive information about pesticide issues.
Leader: George Hamilton
WebsiteNJINPAS leader George Hamilton coordinates communication for MAINPAS, including Listservs and web site development. NJINPAS’s own web site is extensive, with pages including links to Cooperative Extension, NJINPAS advisory groups, and MAINPAS partner sites, as well as information on crop profiles, PMSPs, pesticide usage surveys, and analyses of pesticide use. Recently added links include location-specific information on endangered species for grower use. Stakeholders can subscribe to any of nine NJINPAS-sponsored Listservs that cover time-sensitive issues in the following commodities: vegetables, field and forage, fruit, turf / ornamentals / greenhouse / nursery, interiors and institutions, school IPM, forests, Xmas trees, and mosquitoes. Four additional lists are maintained for the NJINPAS advisory committee, MAINPAS partners, NJINPAS crop profiles, and the NJINPAS peach PMSP. The state has completed crop profiles for alfalfa, apples, asparagus, carrots, field corn, and spinach, and PMSPs have been developed in cooperation with other states for cranberry, lima beans, peaches, and sweet potato. The NJINPAS leadership has developed a survey of IPM recognition and practice for the public. NJINPAS coordinates with the New Jersey IPM and IR-4 programs and works with other regional Pesticide Safety Education Programs. In 2002, George Hamilton spoke at the meeting of the Northeast Tri-Agency Meeting and promoted NJINPAS at the 2002 Entomological Society meeting through a poster presentation. Pesticide regulatory updates were presented to the Central Jersey Turf and Ornamental Institute meeting, the Field Crop Grower Workshops, and the New Jersey Agribusiness Association.
Leader: George Good, Cornell University
WebsiteThe New York network is developing a nursery crop profile with input from research and extension professionals in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia, with plans to use the document as the platform for a multistate PMSP. MAINPAS–New York also supports three electronic mail lists: a Pesticide Management Education Program (PMEP) Listserv, an FQPA Listserv, and a Pesticide Applicator Listserv. The project has contributed several important features to the PMEP web site: a pesticide training course calendar, a chemical profile section, search capability of the Product, Ingredient and Manufacturing System (PIMS) site and label change notification, pesticide sales and use data, and IR-4 information.
Leader: John Baniecki, West Virginia University
WebsiteThe West Virginia network is presently working to complete apple crop profile for the state and helped to establish economic injury levels for apples. A crop profile for strawberries was completed in 2000. The network leadership has also collaborated in the development of the MAINPAS web site. MAINPAS–West Virginia has been especially active in organizing meetings and workshops to serve stakeholders. In fall 2002, the network’s leadership helped to coordinate a Pest Management Products workshop and assisted state extension agents with a Right-of-Way workshop. MAINPAS–West Virginia worked with the state’s Pest Control Operators Association to hold a conference on household pest management and collaborated with the Vegetation Management Association to hold a meeting with information from major chemical companies on vegetation management. The network has also been a part of career days for future farmers
Leaders: James F. Dill and Glen Koehler, University of Maine
WebsiteThe New England Pest Management Network (NEPMNet) is designed to improve stakeholder and general public access to information on pest management topics relevant to New England (MA, CT, ME, VT, RI, NH). Because of the regional focus, users will be able to reach useful information with much less filtering out of irrelevant material. Specifically, the project provides pesticide users and those interested in New England pest management issues with regularly updated pest management regulatory announcements and other news sorted by both geographic and topical relevance at the PRONewEngland.org web site. This web site also provides: links to valuable information on wide and specific topic areas; original content (pest management tactic surveys, crop profiles, PMSPs, regulatory response reports); directories of federal, state university, and private pest management agencies, programs, and interest groups; and opportunities for feedback to regulatory agencies and educational programs. The network’s leadership intends to collect feedback through the web site and by contacts with groups identified in the site’s stakeholder directory. This feedback will be distilled into annual regulatory review reports sent to EPA, USDA, state agencies, and the university pest management education programs (e.g., Pesticide Safety Education and IPM programs). These activities will enhance communication from stakeholders back up to the federal, state, and university levels and will help regulatory agencies and university educational programs better understand real-world pest management practices and concerns of the New England pest management community. NEPMNet also facilitates communication among stakeholders by maintaining the stakeholder directories, providing a common source for access to pest management news and information, and by hosting email distribution lists for news and group discussion. NEPMNet has planned a survey–profile–strategic plan sequence for several commodities; a crop profile for apples is currently pending completion.
Leaders: Robert Weaver and Kerry Richards, Pennsylvania State University
WebsiteThe Pennsylvania Pest Management Information Center (PA PMIC) has its own recently restructured web site. In addition, PA PMIC is updating the Problem Solver web site (paipm.cas.psu.edu/problemSolv.html) to include information such as use surveys and pesticide applicator certification information. Key project personnel have received training for the National Pesticide Retrieval Information System. PA PMIC has launched an assessment to evaluate the economics of growing genetically modified soybeans and has secured additional funding to conduct a homeowner pesticide survey. PA PMIC personnel spoke at over 40 meetings to date regarding regulatory decisions, and additional announcements regarding pesticide regulation have been sent via email. Project staff have also created PowerPoint presentations covering pesticide regulation and application for distribution to extension agents. Pennsylvania has participated in a nationwide peach PMSP and has completed crop profiles for grapes and strawberries; crop profiles for alfalfa, snap beans, and corn are currently pending completion.
This page developed and managed by the
Northeastern Integrated Pest Management Center.
Integrated Pest Management Centers are sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service.