IPM Voice is a nonprofit champion for IPM. We focus on increasing public and policy maker awareness of IPM and its many benefits to agriculture and communities.

IPM Voice Newsletter - Happy Halloween! 

October  31,  2012

Recommendations Made by IPM Voice Board of Directors Included in Newest Draft of the Board of Agriculture Assembly Working Group Discussion Paper  

The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities Board on Agriculture Assembly, Budget and Advocacy Committee formed a working group to review the Integrated Crop Protection Program consolidation.  The group has drafted a discussion paper to provide support and address concerns.  Though the consolidated program will not be funded for FY 2013, it will likely come up again for FY 2014.  

 

In September, the IPM Voice Board of Directors submitted a letter of recommendations for the discussion paper, emphasizing additional funding needs to cover indirect costs and a call to create a national IPM coordinator. The working group's latest draft discussion paper reflects the Board's recommendations by adding language that stresses (1) the allocation of additional funding, and not merely redirection of funds from existing budget lines to build new programs, and (2) the issue of increased indirect charges, should such changes occur.

 

However, the draft paper references Current Funding for Competitive Grants Programs as twelve million dollars, which includes several programs that are not currently funded including CAR and RAMP. In actuality, 2012 funding for IPM grant programs only includes:

 

Competitive Grant Programs for IPM

(FY 2012)

Dollars

(in Thousands)

Expert IPM Decision Support System

$153

Pest Management Alternatives Program

$1,402

IPM and Biological Control (also known as RIPM) 

$2,362

Total

$3,917

 

IPM Voice submitted comments on these inaccuracies and has requested changes. The working group co-chairs are meeting to resolve these remaining questions. 

 

The working group is also investigating issues for the future, including the possibility of bringing special grants back under a competitive scenario and concerns about new pests entering the United States. Read the latest version of the discussion paper here

 

Expiration of the Farm Bill: Implications for IPM 

The 2008 law governing many of our nation's farm policies expired on Sept. 30, and the 2012 Farm Bill needed to replace it is bottled up in Congress. While the Senate and House Agriculture Committees were both able to pass versions of a new farm bill, the full House was unable to do so. Fortunately, expiration of farm bill program authorities has little or no effect on most IPM programs. However, the Centers' authorization remains on hold until the new bill is passed. Authorization in the Farm Bill ensures ongoing support for the Centers, which were established in 2000 and have a very successful record operating programs and managing grants that connect public and private IPM stakeholders.

 

Authority for many of the farm bill conservation programs expired at the end of FY2012. Conservation programs that provide assistance for IPM include the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) Program, Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

 

Implications for EQIP and AMA:  

They are in good shape due to the FY2012 Agriculture appropriations act (P.L. 112-55) which extends the expiration date of selected farm bill conservation programs to FY2014.  USDA can hold normal enrollments for those programs this fall and winter.  The just-passed Continuing Resolution makes funding levels lower than they would be otherwise, but they are operative and farmers can enroll without interruption.  The same holds true for EQIP subprograms and special initiatives.

 

Implications for CSP:  

CSP would be in good shape (due to the extension until 2014) except for the new Continuing Resolution.  The Continuing Resolution limits CSP funding to just the amount necessary to pay for existing contracts.  At least until Congress takes corrective action, new FY 2013 CSP enrollments are on hold.

 

For an in-depth discussion on the Farm Bill lapse and its broader impacts read this blog post by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. 

IPM Program Funding: 2000-2012

This funding chart reflects the importance of having an advocate for IPM in Washington, which is why IPM Voice was created. IPM funding sustained losses for the Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Program (RAMP) in 2011 and the Crops At Risk (CAR) program in 2012. These programs enhance the development and implementation of innovative, ecologically based sustainable IPM strategies and systems for high value crops such as key fruit and vegetable systems.  

 

However, with member support IPM Voice protected many other vital funding sources:

  • In Fiscal Year 2011, working with the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants and others, IPM Voice fought successfully to restore funding for the USDA Regional IPM Centers.
  • IPM Voice saved $3.6 million in FY 2012 IPM funding that had been slated for cuts which would have impacted the Expert IPM Decision Support System (EIPMDSS), Regional IPM (RIPM) program, and Pest Management Alternatives Program (PMAP).
Click  HERE to expand the chart and view in PDF format.



 

Upcoming IPM Meetings, Conferences, and Roundtables  

November 7th and 8th: IPM Organic Roundtable in Washington DC. IPM Voice's Agricultural Conservation Consultant Jim Cubie will be in attendance. 

November 14th and 15th: In San Marcos, Texas, the IPM Coordinators Conference will be held in conjunction with the Texas Association of School Business Officials Maintenance & Operations and Texas Facility Masters Conference. Click here for agenda, registration, and accommodation details.  November 27th and 28th:  The Florida Pest Management Association, in conjunction with the Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials is hosting a Tree Termite Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to gather scientists, regulators, pest management professionals and local officials to discuss termite behavior and biology, treatment strategies and ways to engage the community to help control the spread of this economically significant pest. To register online, go here.

Attend the 2012 Entomological Foundation Awards Reception

The Awards Reception will take place at the Entomological Society of America's Annual Meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee on November 12, 2012 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm.  Please see the invitation  for more information.

 

The 2012 Medal of Honor recipient is Dr. Nan-Yao Su, whose ground-breaking work in termite management led to the development of the Sentricon baiting system. Dr. Thomas Green, IPM Voice board member, is currently serving as president of the Entomological Foundation and will be participating in the presentation. 

 

Awardees for the Excellence in IPM Award and IPM Team Award will also be presented. The 2012 Excellence in IPM Award, sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection, will be awarded to Dr. Bhadriraju Subramanyam. Currently a Don Wilbur Sr. Professor at Kansas State University, Dr. Subramanyam has secured more than $10 million for his research and educational programs as a PI or co-PI, and has mentored 16 M.S. and eight Ph.D. students. He has also written numerous research papers and articles and co-wrote three textbooks.

 

The 2012 IPM Team Award, sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, will be awarded to the Zebra Chip Research Team. This group developed new techniques to identify the potato pathogen Zebra chip, and strategies to document local, regional and national movements of biotypes of the vector. They also developed sampling programs to determine the efficacy of pesticides, and the documentation of a variety of alternatives to unsustainable pesticide use.

 

This event is free of charge. Please request your ticket(s) by email from reception@entfdn.org  or by phone at (301) 459-9083.

 

New IPM Toolkit Published for Child Care Takers and Educators      

This publication, Integrated Pest Management: A Toolkit for Early Care and Education, was developed by University of California (UC), San Francisco School of Nursing's California Childcare Health Program, UC Berkeley's Center for Children's Environmental Health Research, UC Statewide IPM Program and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.  Freely accessible online, this training curriculum presents practical information about using IPM to prevent and manage pest problems in early care and education programs. 

IPM Voice Needs Your Support!

Please join or renew your IPM Voice membership for 2013 by visiting https://ipmvoice.org/join.htm.  

IPM Voice is an independent, non-profit organization advocating for integrated pest management (IPM) that is genuinely progressive and seeks continuous improvement of environmental, social and economic conditions through application of accepted scientific principles.  IPM Voice was formed in 2010 by more than 35 professionals working to expand the benefits IPM has provided to agriculture and communities for more than 40 years.

IPM Voice, Inc. / 4510 Regent Street  Madison, Wisconsin 53705 / 608-232-1410