Battelle study finds state Extension and Experiment Station services beneficial

Posted on March 29, 2013 by rhallberg

An outside research company, Battelle Technology Partnership Practice and BioDimensions, has released a report detailing the impact of Extension and research programs in the Southern Region. The report, located at the LSU AgCenter website, highlights all of the various facets of Extension and research for agbioscience, including those not directly related to pest management. However, I wanted to highlight key findings in the report with regard to pest management specifically.

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Midsouth weed scientists seek a good “model” for managing herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass

Posted on March 14, 2013 by rhallberg

Researchers from Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana will use simulation modeling to develop a sustainable plan for rice farmers trying to control herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass.

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Six Southern scientists receive funding to solve weed, disease problems

Posted on January 7, 2013 by rhallberg

Six teams of IPM scientists will use funding from the USDA Southern Regional IPM grant program to explore ways to control weeds and diseases while reducing the use of pesticides. From non-chemical weed control to plant disease management, these teams will explore new tools that farmers can use to battle diseases and weeds, while lowering their use of fungicides and herbicides. This year, USDA has awarded approximately $768,000 to support Southern Regional IPM projects.

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Farming Practices 101: Organic agriculture: How pest management practices compare to IPM and sustainable agriculture

Posted on December 12, 2012 by rhallberg

As I begin the last post in my series on farming practices, focusing on organic agriculture, I approach the subject with great care. Of all of the practices, organic agriculture probably raises the most emotional associations. We see the label at the grocery store, and that label tells us that the product is “safe,” “healthy” and “good for us.” Basically, when a consumer sees the “USDA Organic” label on a bunch of broccoli or a head of lettuce, he or she knows that it’s different from the produce that does not have that label. My goal in this article is to inform you about the scientific and regulatory basis of organic pest management approaches.

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Farming Practices 101, Part 2: IPM vs. sustainable agriculture

Posted on November 9, 2012 by rhallberg

The term “sustainable agriculture” was first coined by Wes Jackson in his 1980 book, New Roots for Agriculture, but the term didn’t become popular until the late 1980s (Kirschenmann). Even before the 1980s, some agricultural specialists were promoting alternatives to what was becoming an increasingly industrialized farming system, but those alternatives varied greatly in focus.

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6 Reasons to Sample for SCN this Fall

Posted on October 31, 2012 by rhallberg

I took this article from Corn and Soybean Digest. Since soybean cyst nematode is prevalent in the South, I thought it would apply to a lot of our farmers. Ohio State University submitted the original article.

While it is still fresh in your mind, many of you probably noticed the great deal of variability this year in yields that occurred as you were driving the combine across the field. Part of the variability is due to the presence of soybean cyst nematode (SCN). Why is it important to know where it is and what the levels are? Here are a few reasons.

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Farming Practices 101: Conventional, IPM, Sustainable Agriculture and Organic, Part 1

Posted on October 22, 2012 by rhallberg

News stories about the University of Copenhagen study on the nutritional value of organic foods may have left many people confused about what the difference really is between food grown “conventionally” or “organically” and if the increased price for organic food is really worth it. Although most people in the general public probably recognize the terms “conventional” and “organic” for agriculture, there are two other major terms that apply to agricultural practices: “integrated pest management” and “sustainable agriculture.”

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Deterring squirrels and other IPM tidbits

Posted on October 8, 2012 by rhallberg

If you have as many squirrels in your yard as I have in mine, Ciscoe Morris, Seattle Times garden writer, has some interesting–if not amusing–advice, in addition to some information about cover crops.

It’s prime time to plant tulips and other spring blooming bulbs, but if squirrels frequent your garden, you are undoubtedly aware of how difficult it is to keep those varmints from digging up and eating the bulbs. In the past I often recommended planting the bulbs surrounded by chicken wire or hardware cloth. Now there’s a new way to protect bulbs that is much easier and just as effective.

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Change and IPM: Scenario for the future?

Posted on September 5, 2012 by rhallberg

The following article appeared in IPMNet News:

Are changes inevitable for current IPM practices? Several recent papers unquestionably avow that IPM change is in the wind that is drifting, albeit slowly and unevenly, across the entire globe.

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Life after aldicarb

Posted on July 8, 2011 by rhallberg

Root-knot nematode affects 1 to 1.2 million acres of farmland every year. Farmers can lose between 5 and 30 percent of their crop if they leave their fields untreated.

Nematode damage in cotton field

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