2010 Soybean Integrated Pest and Crop Management On-Farm Educational Programs in New York
In 2010, 38 participants representing 33 farms in 6 counties in New York State participated in on-farm soybean Tactical Agriculture (TAg) team Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Participants were actively engaged in a growing-season-long educational program discussing critical pest and crop management topics arising during the growing season. Multiple educational meetings were held in farmer fields enhancing opportunities to reinforce use of IPM concepts and techniques. Participating producers benefited from the timely collection of data from their fields throughout the growing season. The pest information gathered from scouting these soybean fields during the growing season was used in other extension educational efforts across New York State. Many growers were encouraged to spray fungicides by commercial field sales people without the presence of disease as a way to increase yield. From past research conducted by the NYS IPM program and a few TAg producers found this not to be the case. Each grower was able to save money from not spraying their soybean fields. Soybean aphids were also found at very low levels with scouting activities on the farms. No TAg producers had to spray for aphids this past growing season also saving them on the cost of production.