Posted on February 6, 2010 by jimvankirk
President Obama’s USDA budget for fiscal year 2011 was released early this week, and does not contain any request for the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program (Section 406). This program, often abbreviated as “Section 406″, has been the funding source for several major IPM programs, including Regional IPM Centers, Crops at Risk (CAR), Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Program (RAMP), and the Methyl Bromide Transitions (MBT) program.
Regional IPM Centers have been funded since 2000 at almost $4 million annually (a little under $1 million per Center). Funding comes at the end of the fiscal year, so FY 2010 funds have not yet been distributed to the four IPM Centers and are expected to support existing Centers until September 2011.
Several times in recent years the President’s budget has included a proposal to move Section 406 out of it’s current place in the Plant and Animal Systems budget into the National Research Initiative (NRI). Each time in the past Congressional action resulted in restoration of Section 406 into its original funding area. The federal budget is not complete until Congress passes a bill that is signed by the President, so a lot can change. One of 3 potential outcomes seems likely, and two of them bode well for continued funding:
- Section 406 could be moved in some way into the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) budget. AFRI is the new name for NRI. I have been told – informally – that this is the plan at USDA.
- Section 406 could be restored to it’s original budget line.
- The programs currently funded by Section 406 could be eliminated from the Federal budget.
IPM programs represent a relative small part of Section 406 funds. Other programs funded under Section 406 include National Integrated Water Quality Program (NIWQP), Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), and National Integrated Food Safety Initiative (NIFSI). The most recent enacted budget I can easily find shows FY 2009 enacted and the FY 2010 USDA request.
Filed under: Budget, Uncategorized | Tagged: AFRI, Integrated Programs, IPM Centers, President's budget request, Section 406 | Leave a Comment »
Posted on February 5, 2010 by rhallberg
As states continue to struggle with tight budgets, one of the casualties is often state University Extension programs. Delta Farm Press editorial director Hembree Brandon explains how, in several states, Extension specialists are leaving universities for the private sector, and universities are favoring high dollar research grants at the expense of small Extension budgets. Can research and extension afford to be mutually exclusive? Click here to read the article.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: agriculture, Extension, funding, University | Leave a Comment »
Posted on January 26, 2010 by rhallberg
In the winter issue of Southern Exposure, you’ll find a story about a relatively new pest that has been “bugging” bees in the southeast. The pest, the small hive beetle, is too small for the eye to see, but big enough to bully entire colonies into leaving their nests.
Read more »
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: CCD, colony collapse disorder, honeybees, pollinators, small hive beetle, varroa mite | Leave a Comment »
Posted on December 8, 2009 by rhallberg
The blog post below was written by Mike Merchant, urban entomologist at Texas AgriLife Extension Service, in response to the recent introduction of H.R. 4159: the School Environmental Protection Act. Those who are not familiar with the bill can click here to read it. The bill seeks to reduce or eliminate pesticide use in schools. The bill has both its proponents and its critics.
Read more »
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: HR 4159, Pesticide reduction, School Environmental Protection Act, School IPM | Leave a Comment »
Posted on November 19, 2009 by rhallberg
In a small niche of the forests of China, Korea and Japan, the Asian longhorned beetle evolved unnoticed. A hardwood tree pest with a black and white specked abdomen and long antennae, it survived in a pocket of hardwood trees amidst a largely evergreen Asian forest. Because the longhorned beetle feeds on the heartwood of hardwood trees only, the beetles’ populations remained low.
Read more »
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Asian longhorned beetle, exotic invasives, hemlock woolly adelgid, integrated pest management, invasive insects, invasive species | 1 Comment »
Posted on November 5, 2009 by jimvankirk
Posted on November 3, 2009 by jimvankirk
Posted on November 2, 2009 by jimvankirk
Fourth in a series discussion how the four Regional IPM Centers fund projects. The North Central IPM Center is the only one that has not funded State Contacts or comparable projects at all for several years. Read more »
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: competitive grants, funding, regional IPM Center internal grants | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 22, 2009 by rhallberg
Although the distinctive sweet scents of honeysuckle and wisteria have always assured me that spring is on its way, by midsummer I find myself battling them in my backyard. While some people welcome these plants, and others with similar growth habits, neither of the plants is native to the United States, and in most cases, are considered invasive pests.
Read more »
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: exotic invasive, forest, gardening, invasive plants, invasive species, native species, tree of heaven, wisteria | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 21, 2009 by rhallberg
