IPM News and Events Roundup 2/4/2022
A weekly collection of IPM news, webinars, employment and funding opportunities and more from the NE IPM Center. If you have IPM-related research, events or other IPM news you would like to have included, please email me at nec2@cornell.edu. If you would like to subscribe to the weekly Roundup, please email northeastipm@cornell.edu. Past Roundups are archived here.
The Central Issue, North Central IPM Center’s January newsletter is out
Read about several upcoming webinars, some EPA updates, and planning for spring planting.
Northeast Vector-Borne Center’s newsletter is out.
Read about upcoming vector control association meetings in the northeast, research on West Nile-infected mosquitos in PA and more.
Nominations open at NY Dept of Ag and Markets for advisory boards
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets today announced that nominations are open for positions on New York State’s Apple, Onion, and Cabbage Marketing Order Advisory Boards. Marketing Order Advisory Boards convene to recommend funding priorities to the Department’s Commissioner, inform the Department of industry issues, and ensure that funded projects are having the intended impact on New York State agriculture.
Read about the National Award for Excellence call for nominees, view last month’s Climate Science webinar, and more.
NAISMA 2022 Conference call for abstracts
The conference will be November 7-10 in Ft Myers, FL. The conference planning committee is seeking abstracts for oral and poster presentations. To share research, challenges, and successes related to aquatic and terrestrial plants, animals, insects, pests, and pathogens that impact North American lands and waters. Through sharing research, challenges, and successes we aim to improve resilience on landscapes through prevention, early detection, control, and mitigation of invasive species. Abstracts are due March 31.
Mosquitopia: The Place of Pests in a Healthy World, free download
The mosquito is humanity’s deadliest animal, killing over a million people each year by transmitting malaria, yellow fever, Zika and several other diseases. Yet of the ~3,500 species of mosquito on Earth, only a few dozen of them are really dangerous—so the question arises: Can humans and their mosquito foes can learn to live peacefully with one another? This book edited by Marcus Hall and Dan Tamïr (London and New York: Routledge, 2022) brings together natural scientists, social scientists and humanists to assess if (or how) we may begin to coexist harmoniously with the mosquito.
Invasive Species:
In Virginia, three counties have been added to the Spotted Lanternfly Map, as infested. They are Augusta, Albemarle and Wythe.
Update on issues with Beech trees: Interactions of 2 of three threats to Beech
…American beech is under threat from three non-native organisms or complexes: 1) beech bark disease, 2) beech leaf disease, and 3) beech leaf mining weevil. A fourth pest, a previously unknown – and still unnamed bark beetle in the genus Agrilus – has been detected in New York City on European beech trees. It is not yet known whether it will attack American beech and, if so, whether it will also cause serious damage.
More than 400 invasive fish dumped from aquariums found in Texas river
Researchers from Texas A&M and Texas State universities pulled 406 invasive suckermouth armored catfish from the San Marcos River in Texas earlier this month.
Research:
Uncertainty in the modelled mortality of two tree species (Fraxinus) under novel climatic regimes
Based upon species distribution models (SDMs), many studies have predicted that climate change will cause regional extinctions of tree species within the next 50–100 years. SDM-based predictions have been challenged on procedural and theoretical grounds, but for tree species they are largely beyond the practical reach of direct experimental validation. Here we report the experimental consequences of moving seedlings from ~50 natural populations of each of two ash (Fraxinus) species to experimental sites spanning a range of 10°C colder to 10°C warmer (mean annual temperature) than home environments.
Recovery Plan for Tar Spot of Corn, Causes by Phyllachora maydis
To combat this growing threat, a group of 22 plant pathologists from 12 institutions have compiled a recovery plan that reviews the current knowledge and the future needs of tar spot, with the intention of mitigating the disease’s impact. They used new technology to monitor tar spot onset and progress in real time and also worked closely with plant pathologists across North America to compare note.
Webinars, Conferences, Meetings and more:
Virtual Blueberry Conference, Feb 1-March17, 4-6pmET
Conference topics include weed, pest and disease management; water use and drought planning; pollinators, production and research updates; marketing and business management; updates from the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission; and a certification panel discussion. UMaine Extension and University of Maine educators, researchers and industry experts will lead the sessions.
Solutions and Resources to Address COVID-19 in Schools: Establishing Lasting Improvements to Ventilation and IAQ, Feb 10, 1pm ET
Join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and featured speakers from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), 21stCentury School Fund, Michigan Chapter of ASHRAE, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for an upcoming webinar examining the state of our schools! Learn how to make the case to implement building upgrades to improve indoor air quality (IAQ), reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and optimize school building energy performance.
University of California Davis Spring IPM Webinar series, Feb 17-May 19
Topics include bed Bug Prevention, Subterranean termites, squirrels and a two-part invasive species section.
International IPM Symposium early registration ends today
The Symposium will take place Feb 28-March 3 in person in Denver, CO.
Flower Growers of Maine virtual conference, Feb 28-March 3
University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host a virtual conference for cut-flower growers from 6–8 p.m. every day from Feb. 28–March 3. An additional in-person networking session is scheduled March 6 at Longfellow’s Greenhouses, 81 Puddledock Road, Manchester. Webinars will include presentations about using high tunnels, popular flower varieties, succession planting and post-harvest handling with time for questions and group discussions. UMaine Extension staff and industry experts will lead the webinars.
Exploring the Small Farm Dream, 4-session webinar series March 7-28, fee
The?Exploring the Small Farm Dream?course (designed by the New England Small Farm Institute and taught by trained facilitators) is designed to help you, and your partner, decide whether starting a farm business is right for you. This ten-hour (four evening sessions) virtual course includes exploratory discussion, curated research tools, and self-assessment activities provided by the instructors as well as a workbook for hands-on application both during class and at home. Each week we will hear from subject matter experts and community partners, as well as existing farmers. By the end of the series, you will create an action plan that works best for you and will have the tools and contacts to help you get started.
Tick Summit 11, March 15 – registration is open
Tick Summit IX will take place virtually on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Registration is now open and the topics are being soliciting. The planning committee invites any individual or institution in the mid-Atlantic area working on ticks or tickborne disease issues to participate. Deadline for submitting abstracts is March 1, 2022; deadline for registration is March 8, 2022. Abstracts for oral presentations must be submitted by close of business on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (There are no poster presentations again this year, but we will have rapid fire talks lasting three minutes each).
Employment Opportunities:
Agricultural Stewardship Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Riverhead, NY
This person will be responsible for administrative and programmatic staff supervision and effectively manage resources available to the program. Target communities are commercial agriculture and ornamental horticulture enterprises. The program's focus is on developing, implementing, and educating environmentally sound agriculture practices to minimize the impact of agricultural inputs on surface water and groundwater.
Fire Management Specialist, Soil & Water Conservation District of Suffolk county, NY
The Suffolk County Water Authority is seeking a Fire Management Specialist to perform key roles in managing the comprehensive prescribed fire program operated by the Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission for the Central Pine Barrens region. Responsibilities include leading the development and implementation of all aspects of the prescribed fire management program; the supervision and training of prescribed fire crews; conducting fuels, smoke and wildland fire management/mitigation; assisting with public education and outreach and the preparation of prescribed and wildland fire management plans for ecological and fuel management in collaboration with other agencies and stakeholders. The overarching programmatic goals for the prescribed fire program include fostering biological diversity, natural resource conservation and restoration and wildfire risk reduction within the Central Pine Barrens. This position is full time (37.5) hours a week and will be a designated term position that exists as long as the commission receives NYS funding to implement a prescribed fire program.
Endowed Chair of Tree Fruit and IPM, Washington State University, Wenatchee, WA
Responsibilities include development of an externally funded, nationally, and internationally recognized research and extension program focusing on the pest problems facing the Washington tree fruit industry. This program should emphasize the development of behaviorally based tactics for IPM, with a balance of basic and applied science that will be published in high-impact peer reviewed journals. Outreach and engagement with the tree fruit industry is essential to success.
Plant Research Farm Manager, Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
The Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture (PSLA) is seeking applicants for a full-time, knowledgeable, experienced, and creative individual to manage operations at the Department Field Research and Education Facility (Research Farm) and the Burr-Hicks Teaching Nursery in support of our research, extension, and teaching functions. You will lead and supervise farm staff and maintain facilities infrastructure that includes 100+ pieces of equipment, an automated in-ground irrigation system, an on-site repair shop, greenhouses, and cold frames.
Farm Program Manager, Red Tomato Farm and Inn, Carlisle, PA
The aim of Red Tomato Farm & Inn is to provide adults with intellectual disabilities meaningful work rooted in farm tasks that create opportunities to interact with the general public and community. With day and pre-vocational programming, we are able to serve a wide population of participants. Our 5-acre parcel of farm land, includes a program building with kitchen and woodworking area, barn and pastures, a greenhouse and raised garden beds and a farm house, which serves as our bed and breakfast and is open to the public. Participants interact with our farm animals, work in our gardens, participate in grounds maintenance, cook in our kitchen and complete various woodworking projects daily on our farm.
Program Analyst, National Invasive Species Council, Dept of Interior
NISC activities are facilitated by a small staff housed in the DOI Office of the Secretary, who provide coordination and support to NISC member agencies in the implementation of NISC Work Plans and facilitate regular communications. The incumbent would serve as a member of NISC staff and would be responsible for coordinating and implementing programmatic activities in a timely, credible, and effective manner, as directed by the NISC Executive Director according to the priorities and guidelines established by NISC.
Funding Opportunities:
NSF-Cultural Transformation in the Geoscience Community
The Geosciences Directorate (GEO) proposes a novel approach to simultaneously address two major challenges that require immediate action, (1) foster a just, equitable and inclusive geoscience research community that reflects the diversity of the United States and (2) develop a workforce with the skills required to understand how the Earth system can continue to sustain society. Cultural Transformation in the Geoscience Community (CTGC) responds to the desire of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds to make a difference in their world and supports the creative power of truly diverse groups to make major strides in Earth System Science in service of humanity. Proposals due May 2, 2022
Northeast SARE Partnership and Graduate Research Grant Programs are accepting proposals
2022 Calls for Proposals Now Available for Northeast SARE Partnership and Graduate Student Research Grant Programs. Online submissions open March 1. The Partnership Grant Program funds applied research, demonstration and education projects conducted by anyone who works with farmers. Projects must directly partner with a farmer or farmers. The Graduate Research Grant Program funds sustainable agriculture research projects conducted by graduate students at colleges, universities and veterinary schools, who are conducting research in the Northeast.
USDA-NIFA Methyl Bromide Transition Program
The Methyl Bromide Transition Program (MBT) addresses the immediate needs and the costs of transition that have resulted from the phase-out of the pesticide methyl bromide. Methyl bromide has been a pest and disease control tactic critical to pest management systems for decades for soilborne and postharvest pests. The program focuses on integrated commercial-scale research on methyl bromide alternatives and associated extension activity that will foster the adoption of these solutions. Projects should cover a broad range of new methodologies, technologies, systems, and strategies for controlling economically important pests for which methyl bromide has been the only effective pest control option. Research projects must address commodities with critical issues and include a focused economic analysis of the cost of implementing the transition on a commercial scale. Applications due March 17.
USDA-NIFA Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program (ECDRE) Pre-Application
NIFA’s Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program (ECDRE) addresses priorities identified by the Citrus Disease Sub-committee of the National Agricultural Research, Education, Extension and Economics Advisory Board through projects that integrate research and Extension activities and use systems-based, trans-disciplinary approaches to provide solutions to U.S. citrus growers. The overarching goals and desired outcomes for the ECDRE program are to combat Huanglongbing (HLB), commonly known as citrus greening, and its disease complex to continue to be able to farm citrus in a financially sustainable way through collaborative approaches and knowledge; transition from component-focused research to deploying research outcomes and conclusions on farms; and encourage research teams to bring knowledge together to find grower solutions to combat and prevent HLB infection. Applications due March 17.
This program seeks to promote and strengthen secondary education and two-year postsecondary education in the food and agriculture sciences to help ensure the existence of a workforce in the United States that's qualified to serve the food and agriculture sciences system; and promote complementary and synergistic linkages among secondary, two-year postsecondary, and higher education programs in the food and agriculture sciences to advance excellence in education and encourage more young Americans to pursue and complete a baccalaureate or higher degree in the food and agriculture sciences.
USDA-NIFA Renewable Resources Extension Act- National Focus Funds Projects
IFA’s Renewable Resources Extension Act-National Focus Fund (RREA-NFF) expands comprehensive Extension programs that focus on forest and rangeland renewable resources at the national or regional level. RREA-NFF enables landowners and managers to achieve their desired goals and objectives by making public research available to them. RREA-NFF provides funds for pilot projects that address emerging forest and rangeland resource issues, have national or regional relevancy, or develop new and innovative projects that can be replicated at other institutions. Applications due March 21.