Results from Small IPM Demonstrations and Field Research Projects in the Capital District

Abstract

It is important to educate vegetable growers with new ideas. New ideas are transmitted best when people are able to see those ideas in practice. Field research, demonstrations and data collection are important tools for Cooperative Extension Educators when working with vegetable growers. Rather than have one large summer meeting, growers have expressed their preference for small, localized meetings covering topics they value. Meetings were held in Saratoga, Washington, Rensselaer, Columbia, Albany and Schoharie Counties. Since there is a large distance from one end of this area to the other end, field demonstrations were done multiple times, on different farms in different counties. This approach necessitated small demonstrations to make specific educational points. Information collected from the field was used in newsletters covering eight counties.