IPM News and Events Roundup 5/21/21
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.
Cornell Shares Land Acknowledgement
“Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo?hó:n?' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo?hó:n?' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo?hó:n?' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo?hó:n?' people, past and present, to these lands and waters.”
The Visible Invisible: Impacts of Invasive jumping Worms
Many of us have grown up thinking that earthworms are a sign of healthy, fertile soil. However, many earthworms found throughout Maryland (and the northeast I would add-NEC) are not native. Earthworms can be beneficial in their native ecosystems and agricultural settings, but their ability to re-engineer soil can completely restructure ecosystems and the microbial, plant, arthropod and vertebrate communities that live within them.
There are several webinars on these worms, this is a good example: Invasive Earthworms: Impacts & Management (NISAW 2018). There’s also one from NAISMA but you have to be a member to watch it: Non-Native Invasive Earthworms 101: From the Nightcrawler to the Jumping worm.
University of Vermont Extension Agriculture Engineering YouTube Channel has been posting some new videos about spotted wing drosophila (SWD) exclusion netting for berries. These are all part of a Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Farmer Grant funded project led by Dale Ila Riggs at The Berry Patch in Stephentown, NY. They are working on the second demonstration build this summer at Abers Acres in Kennedy, NY. Topics covered so far: Overview of SWD Exclusion netting, Laying out and squaring up a large rectangular project, and Auguring post holes and driving earth anchors.
Annual Tick Season Includes Arrival of New Invasive Tick Species to Rhode Island
The Asian longhorned tick, which poses a threat to livestock, was found in April to have moved to the Rhode Island mainland after an initial discovery on one of the state’s islands last year.
Commercial pollinators get a lot of press. Not so much our native pollinators. Here are two articles on native pollinators, one from PA, one from NE.
Orchard Pollination: Wild Bees (Penn State Extension) Managed pollinators like honey bees and mason bees are important pollinators for orchards, but research suggests that wild bees also contribute significantly to fruit tree pollination.
The Prairie Ecologist - Native bees deserve a day of recognition. They deserve a lot more than that. However, it's also worth remembering that bees are not the only group of pollinators that keep ecosystems humming along. Butterflies and moths are important. So are wasps, ants, and even beetles and hummingbirds. In some places, bats are hugely important too. But don't forget about flies!
It is looking like the gypsy moth invasion has moved from MA, CT and RI to NY. I am hearing about lots of small caterpillars all of the Finger Lakes area and beyond. Here are some Extension resources for homeowners on managing them. Gypsy Moth Management for Homeowners on Small Properties from Virginia Tech; New York State DEC page on Gypsy Moth and All You Ever Wanted to Know About Gypsy Moth, also from NY DEC. Betsy Lamb at New York State IPM Program says: The Golden Oil Spray can damage leaves, so be aware of that. Alos, Eradicoat ® is not labeled for Gypsy Moth in New York, so be aware of that as well. Finally, the outbreak of these in MA seems to be over, so this will be a year or two of infestation at worst. See gypsy moth webinar June 10, below.
Study on Co-Locating Agricultural Enterprises on photovoltaic sites in NY, PA, CT, VT, NJ and MA. They are Looking for study participants.
The American Solar Grazing Association (ASGA) will collect and analyze data on the agricultural, economic, and environmental impacts of co-locating agricultural enterprises such as commercial beekeeping and sheep grazing on photovoltaic sites. Additional project partners on the two-year study include the New England Division of American Farmland Trust and Juniper Economic Consulting. ASGA has begun recruiting beekeepers, shepherds, and solar sites and will continue enrollment until fall 2021. The study sites ASGA seeks can have just beekeeping, just solar grazing, or a combination of both.
Invasive Species
Spotted Lanternfly News:
Debunking Myths about Spotted Lanternfly
Spotted Lanternfly is spreading throughout the country and they feed on everything! And they’re destroying agriculture in the United States! The bugs are aliens and only napalm can kill them! Or are they?
Research:
Automated aerosol puffers releasing behaviorally active volatile organic compounds can deter insect pests in crops. During 2016, they tested the ef?cacy of aerosol puffer arrays emitting 1-octen-3-ol at reducing Drosophila suzukii ovipo-sition in fall-bearing raspberries in Western New York State. During 2017, they compared the performance of aerosol puffers with a passive diffusion release method (vial dispensers), as well as puffer timing and placement within the ?eld.
Agricultural intensification heightens food safety risks posed by wild birds
“Birds provide important insect pest control services to sustainable farmers, so removing birds makes it harder for these farmers to farm without pesticides,” said Smith. “Therefore, it is extremely important to understand how much of a problem birds are likely to be for food safety and how we might reduce that risk.” Article here.
Vector-borne diseases kill more than 700,000 people per year globally, with the majority of deaths being caused by mosquitoes, so understanding how mosquitoes spread disease into a human population can help us control mosquitoes and prevent disease. Unfortunately, our understanding of the transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne diseases has been limited. Mathematical models can be a powerful tool for identifying gaps in our understanding, and researchers at the California Academy of Sciences and Tulane University have developed a comprehensive new model of disease transmission dynamics that can help steer a new generation of research and mosquito control efforts. Article here.
Webinars, trainings, meetings and more:
The one where the IPM Monitor says: When did you get here and how many of you are there?, May 25, 11am MT
We can’t all watch the grass grow to see when the first weed pops up, but there are a number of strategies to help make your monitoring efforts successful at preventing bigger issues.
HBCU Agriculture Business Innovation Center webinar, May 25, 2-4ET
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture will host a webinar to obtain stakeholder feedback regarding the development of a new competitive funding program to establish one Agriculture Business Innovation Center at a selected Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Two million dollars were appropriated in FY 2021 to fund this program.
Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair, May 26 12-4pm ET
The USDA will host the first-ever Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair to showcase USDA investments and business leadership in reducing food loss and waste throughout the food system. In the United States, over one-third of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste. When food is tossed aside, so too are opportunities for improved food security, economic growth, and environmental prosperity. USDA is uniquely positioned to help address the problem of food loss and waste through its programs, policies, and guidance.
How Can we fight spotted Lanternfly and reduce pesticide Use? May 26, 6pm
PennPIRG will be joined by expert Michelle Niedermeier, Environmental Health Program Coordinator at the Penn State Extension and partners at PennEnvironment for a virtual discussion on how you can use an environmentally-friendly strategy known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to both address the spotted lanternfly crisis and reduce the overuse of toxic pesticides.
A Better Lawn Without Pesticides, June 4 12 noon ET
New York State IPM experts will explore timely topics to help you use integrated pest management (IPM) to avoid pest problems and promote a healthy environment where you live, work, learn and play.
The Beetle with some Bling: Emerald Ash Borer – IPM and Biological Controls, June 8, 2pm ET
This webinar will review the invasion of the emerald ash borer (EAB) into the U.S. and Canada. Early attempts to control its spread through mechanical means will be discussed and include regulatory and chemical control approaches. Follow the search for biological control agents (insects) in the EAB’s native Asia, through development of rearing and release technologies, safety testing, field releases, and impact evaluations. Hear about the trials and successes of this historic invasive species and various management programs developed in an attempt to eradicate them.
Gypsy Moth 2021 update, June 10, 7pm ET
This timely presentation by Eric Boysen will update all woodlot owners on the current status of the Gypsy Moth hatch, and provide a forecast of what we can expect this summer.
Overview of NIFA Competitive Education Programs, June 11, 2pm CT
Interested in learning more about NIFA's education portfolio and grant opportunities? This webinar is aimed to raise awareness about NIFA's competitive education programs including our K-12, undergraduate, graduate programs, as well as programs targeted to minority-serving institutions.
Agriculture: Essential Workers – Essential Protections Initiative, June 22, 5:30pm ET
The US Dept of Labor Wage and Hour Division enforces many regulations that provide protections for agricultural employees – whether they are migrant or seasonal workers or temporary non-immigrant (H-2A) agricultural workers. These protections range from those afforded under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), such as minimum wage and child labor protections, to those under the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA), such as safe housing for migrant workers, safe transportation for covered workers, requirements that all wages owed be paid when due, full and proper disclosure of the terms and conditions of employment, and that farm labor contractors be registered with the Department of Labor. WHD also enforces the field sanitation standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Wage and Hour Division is pleased to offer virtual training for workers, organizations and employers in agricultural occupations on these critical workplace protections through our Essential Workers - Essential Protections Initiative.
Employment Opportunities:
Mid-Atlantic Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Conservation Planner and NRCS Partner Biologist, Xerces Society, Columbus, NJ
The Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Conservation Specialist will provide habitat conservation planning, technical support and training for USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) field office conservation planners and partners, farmers, pasture managers, foresters, and other agricultural producers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and other Mid-Atlantic and southern New England states. Applications accepted through May 31.
Communication Specialist, NY State IPM Program, Geneva, NY
The successful candidate will manage and coordinate marketing and advertising efforts by writing and producing digital content, annual reports, briefs, press releases and more.
Funding Opportunities:
Funding Opportunities:
Northeast SARE now accepting proposals for the 2022 grant offerings, pre-proposals dues Aug 3
The three grant opportunities are Research and Education Grant, Research for Novel Approaches Grant and Professional Development Grant. Grants are aimed at improving sustainable agriculture and local food systems throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Preproposals, which capture the preliminary project concept, are required for each grant program and are due online by 5 p.m. on Aug. 3. Applicants selected to submit full proposals will be contacted in mid-August with full proposals due on Oct. 26.