Promoting the Use of Advanced IPM in Wisconsin Apple and Cherry Orchards

Project Coordinators

Daniel L. Mahr and Regina M. Hirsch
University of Wisconsin - Madison, Entomology Department
1630 Linden Drive, Room 545 Russell Labs
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
608-262-3228; 608-255-8606
608-262-3322 (fax)
dmahr@entomology.wisc.edu
regina.hirsch@sbcglobal.net

Executive Summary

Perceived financial risk associated with converting from conventional calendar sprays in apple and cherry production to advanced IPM hinders growers from changing their practices. The USDA Farm Bill Conservation Programs are designed to offset these risks through cost-sharing and incentive payments. One of these Programs', the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), major tenets is to provide incentive payments to farmers to practice IPM. Each state has a State Technical Committee (STC) that decides on state policies and how Program monies are spent. Unfortunately, current EQIP policies in Wisconsin have left small minority producers (such as apple and cherry growers) ineligible for EQIP funding. However, the STC has expressed interest in changing its policies and has appointed a tree fruits subcommittee to draft policy changes. This proposed project seeks to fund a one-year university appointment to work with the STC subcommittee to change state EQIP policy in order for apple and cherry growers to be eligible for EQIP funding. It is through this EQIP funding that we see the greatest potential of motivating the apple and cherry growers in the state to practice advanced IPM. The success of this project will serve as a model for other crops and states in changing EQIP policies for expanding the use of advanced IPM.

The Wisconsin Eco-Apple pilot project, which heavily uses small local grower networks in conjunction with IPM consultants, has proven to be a successful model for teaching growers to adopt advanced IPM. Therefore, we will increase the number of local networks throughout the state. For each network, a series of workshops will be conducted to improve growers' IPM knowledge and practices, and to assist them in applying for EQIP support. We will measure the adoption of advanced IPM by comparing before and after IPM survey scores and total toxicity scores, and by the number of apple and cherry growers that attained EQIP funding.

Project Description and Objectives

Wisconsin apple and cherry growers are yearning to implement more advanced IPM practices. However, due to the rising costs of less-toxic, narrow spectrum pesticides and expensive weather monitoring equipment these growers cannot financially take the risk to change their current practices. The USDA Farm Bill Conservation Programs were designed to help farmers improve their current methods of farming so as to aid in protecting the environment and human health. A main impetus of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is to provide incentive and cost-sharing payments to farmers for adopting IPM. Unfortunately, current EQIP policies within the State of Wisconsin have left small minority producers (such as apple and cherry growers) ineligible for EQIP funding.

Local networks and small-scale workshops can intensively train a number of growers about advanced IPM practices. These workshops along with incentive payments from EQIP should significantly increase the number of orchards using advanced IPM practices in a relatively short period of time. This is especially important for the state of Wisconsin, as apple and cherry orchards are predominantly located in two sensitive watersheds: Lake Michigan and Mississippi River. Therefore, the objectives of this project are to:

facilitate change in Wisconsin EQIP policies in order for Wisconsin apple and cherry growers to be eligible for EQIP funding for adopting advanced IPM
develop local networks and supporting workshops to improve IPM knowledge and practices, and educate growers about advanced IPM strategies eligible for EQIP funding;
aid apple and cherry growers in applying for EQIP funding.

A primary objective of the proposed project is to develop the means for Wisconsin orchardists to gain access to EQIP funds in support of making the transition to more advanced IPM. That objective will be accomplished at the end of the project. The additional objective is to educate growers so that they will be more receptive to advanced IPM, especially in light of continued EQIP funding. This objective will continue to be a program priority of University of Wisconsin Extension personnel.

The overall benefits of this project to the state are largely twofold. First, as orchardists continue to adopt advanced IPM techniques, thereby reducing their reliance on broad spectrum pesticides, there will be benefits to the health of farm workers and their families and to the environment. Second, by reducing pest management expenses, and by demonstrating to orchard customers that their products are as safe as they can possibly be, the economic viability of orcharding will improve, securing the viability of a diversified Wisconsin agriculture.

Justification

The apple and cherry growers would like to qualify for EQIP funding to incorporate more advanced IPM practices in their production to reduce their reliance on pesticides and to protect the environment (e.g.. air, surface and ground waters, and wildlife). Over the past year, we have worked with the Wisconsin apple growers to help them present their concerns about EQIP's current policy to the Wisconsin State Technical Committee (STC). Based on the apple growers' presentation in May 2004, the STC recommended a subcommittee be formed with representatives from both Wisconsin apple and cherry growers. This subcommittee is charged with developing a proposal on how to effectively change EQIP to incorporate the needs of these two important Wisconsin orchard industries. Change in EQIP policy to allow apple and cherry growers to sign-up for EQIP funding will have a profound affect on the number of growers practicing advanced IPM, which in turn will affect human health and the environment.
Education is essential in promoting advanced IPM practices throughout Wisconsin's apple and cherry industries. Local grower networks and small-scale workshops are more apt to foster change in growers' perceptions and attitudes towards implementing advanced IPM strategies than large conferences. The Eco-Apple project that was started in Wisconsin three years ago serves as a model for how to implement advanced IPM for apples. The Eco-Apple project relies on local networks to foster communication, education, and discussions concerning IPM practices between other growers, consultants, and scientists. These small-scale local networks and subsequent workshops need to be increased throughout the state to facilitate this ideal learning situation and educate other growers about advanced IPM and EQIP funding opportunities.
A change in current EQIP policy will be meaningful only if people actually benefit from the policy change. Therefore, once we are able to change EQIP eligibility to include apple and cherry growers, it is essential that we aid growers in understanding the process involved to secure EQIP funding.

Literature Review

In the upper Midwest. tree fruit crops are subject to much greater insect and disease pressures than in the drier Pacific Northwest. The apple scab fungus is ubiquitous and requires constant management inputs. Conventional practices utilize protectant fungicide sprays on a 7-10 day basis (McManus et al 2004). However, infection periods can be predicted using weather monitoring equipment combined with the use of erdicant fungicides in the period immediately after infection. The equipment is costly, especially for small producers, and understanding and using the generated data requires knowledge and training. However, in most years pesticide usage can be reduced by infection-monitoring practices (Bessin et al 1993).

Numerous insect and mite pests also attack apple and cherry (Howitt 1993). Important direct fruit pests of apple include codling moth, plum curculio, and apple maggot. Damage can occur starting immediately after pollination and can continue after harvest has begun. In addition, serious foliage pests include leafminers and spider mites. Historically, apple growers have used as many as 8-10 insecticide and miticide sprays annually to control this arthropod pest complex (see McManus et al., 2004 for a "traditional" pest control program). The pest complex on cherry is less numerous, but cherry fruit fly and black cherry fruit fly are two direct fruit pests that can cause substantial losses if not controlled with pesticides.

In addition to the human health and environmental impacts of pesticide use, there are significant economic concerns for the growers as well. Modern "greener" pesticides are often more expensive to use, but growers are faced with continuing loss of older and less expensive broad spectrum pesticides, such as the organophosphate insecticides. On the positive side, narrow-spectrum products are less likely to cause outbreaks of secondary pests such as mites and leafminers. Further, much of the Wisconsin apple crop is sold on-farm or at farmers markets, where increasingly-concerned consumers pose questions about pesticide use. Clearly, adoption of practices that reduce the use of costly and disruptive pesticides will be economically favorable to the Wisconsin tree fruit industry.

Wisconsin apple and cherry growers are trying to maintain a viable industry in the state of Wisconsin. According to the USDA agricultural census (2002), the number of apple producers in Wisconsin has declined by 12% with a 24% loss in production acres from1997 to 2002, whereas the number of cherry growers have declined by 7% with a 27% loss in production acres. It would be a great loss to the agricultural diversity of the state if this decline in apple and cherry production continues.

To combat this decline, in 2001 the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association took the lead in embarking on a new path to stimulate the marketability of their apples. They teamed with the University of Wisconsin Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, and affiliated scientists, University of Wisconsin-Extension. and private crop and environmental consultants to develop an Eco-Apple project that encourages them to increase their adoption of IPM practices, reduce their reliance on pesticides, and/or eliminate the use of high-risk pesticides.

The team took a three-phase approach to adopting advanced IPM practices and pesticide reduction. The first phase was to find out the current use of IPM for apple producers throughout Wisconsin. This was accomplished with a growers' survey to assess their level of IPM implementation in 2002. The key elements of the survey determined what growers are doing to (1) avoid pest problems; (2) determine economic thresholds; and (3) make decisions regarding pesticides. The answers to the questions were ranked and total scores are being used to ascertain current grower sophistication with IPM and to help growers, crop consultants, and educators alike identify areas of improvement. Scores will continue to be monitored in the future to evaluate the degree of adoption of IPM and overall benefit of the program.

The second phase was to create a Total Toxicity Tool (TTT) that calculates the total toxicity of the pesticides used in individual orchards, to three target groups: (1) the grower/orchard pesticide applicator, (2) the consumer, and (3) the environment (wildlife and beneficial insects). Data from EPA and other governmental agencies were used to determine the toxicity of these identified pesticides to each target group. Along with the toxicity data, information from growers concerning application rate, method of application, timing and frequency of application were used to determine the risk of pesticide exposure to the three target groups. Combining the toxicity and use information creates an overall toxicity score for each pesticide, with low scores indicating less toxicity to one or more target groups. From these toxicity scores growers and their IPM crop consultants are able to identify the best pesticide to control pests with the least amount of harmful effects to the target groups.

The third phase was to have growers work one-on-one with an IPM coach and other program personnel who train them on scouting techniques and calibration of equipment, provide expert opinion on specific courses of action, and help them devise an appropriate plan for advanced IPM practices for their orchards.

In 2004, this project developed two local grower networks, enlisting a total of 10 apple growers to work with an IPM coach and develop an advanced IPM plan. Based on their preliminary results these apple growers were able to reduce their insecticide applications from approximately 6-8 applications per year to 5-6 or less. One grower totally eliminated the use of broad spectrum organophosphate insecticides, choosing more expensive, selective products. The IPM methods conducted by these apple growers this year are the same practices that should be eligible for EQIP funding for apple and cherry growers. Therefore, through the change in EQIP policy, a greater number of Wisconsin apple and cherry growers can reduce their reliance on pesticides which will have multiple benefits to producers, consumers, and the environment

Approach and Methods

This proposal seeks funding to hire a one year program coordinator to develop a program to expand adoption of IPM by Wisconsin's orchard industries. The coordinator's responsibilities will be (1) to work with EQIP STC to revise eligibility policies to include orchardists, and (2) to coordinate expansion of the pilot apple IPM project statewide, and to include the cherry industry.

To change Wisconsin's EQIP policy to incorporate the needs and eligibility of the apple and cherry growers for 2005 FY monies they need to work quickly and effectively. Therefore, this subcommittee needs an active chairperson who will take the responsibility to organize and facilitate all subcommittee meetings, write-up all discussion points into proposal format, and work with industry organizations to develop a State Technical Committee meeting proposal presentation. To date this subcommittee is made up of key State Technical Committee members, apple and cherry growers, university scientists, the Eco-Apple project manager, and independent crop consultants. The subcommittee intends to meet on a monthly basis to evaluate current EQIP practice standards to identify which practices need to be rewritten to allow apple and cherry growers to be eligible for EQIP funding. The proposal will be written and presented to the State Technical Committee outlining the identified practice standards and the appropriate re-wording that incorporates the subcommittee's ideas for their approval. The person proposed for this position (Hirsch) has been working on this project for over a year, has gained trust with both the apple and cherry growers, and has been an active participant in Wisconsin's State Technical Committee meetings.

The approach to IPM education will be based on the success we have had with the apple IPM pilot program. Two small local grower networks have been established. Each network is assigned an "IPM coach" who is knowledgeable of tree fruit pests and appropriate IPM practices. The coaches make periodic visits to the growers to train them in pest scouting techniques and to consult with them on the decision-making process. Coaches are also available by email and telephone. Weather-monitoring computers are used in each orchard for tracking disease infection periods. Pesticide-use decisions are based on these data. Pesticides are used only as needed, as perceived by each individual orchardist, and the use of narrow-spectrum pesticides is encouraged where possible. Network "workshops" are held periodically for continued training, to discuss successes and challenges, and to share experiences. Growers learning from other growers has been a powerful educational tool in the program and we will use this approach in our proposed workshops. The pilot program is supported by a two-year grant from EPA's Food Quality Protection Act Grant Program that funds the coaches, weather-monitoring computers, and insect monitoring tools such as pheromone traps. This type of funding is critical to the educational process and the ultimate success of the program, and is the reason why long-term EQIP funding is crucial to the expansion of the pilot project.

During the year of support by funds from this proposal, we will establish three more networks in the state, including one for cherry growers which are concentrated on the Door County peninsula. During this year, we will also conduct workshops statewide to advise growers on the availability of EQIP funding, and develop publications and a website to inform growers about the overall IPM program, and how to apply for EQIP funding. At these workshops we will enlist the aid of growers who have successfully participated in the pilot program to serve as educators and ambassadors of support for IPM. University of Wisconsin - Madison tree fruit research and extension specialists in entomology and plant pathology will be key educators and provide overall background support for the program. The tree fruit entomologist (Mahr) will provide program oversight.

Impact Assessment

We anticipate that within one year of successfully changing the EQIP policy, we will double the amount of apple growers using advanced IPM and begin working with the first network of cherry growers. After the first production season we will measure the change in pesticide use both in total number of applications and the reduction in their toxicity score using the Total Toxicity Tool. This tool will enable us to quantify the reduction of high-risk, broad-spectrum pesticides (e.g.. organophosphates) in each orchard. In addition, we will be able to ascertain the improvement of each orchard on the IPM continuum by comparing their survey scores before and after using advanced IPM practices. We will also quantify the adoption of EQIP funds. Records will be kept on visitations to the IPM website. All of these measures will be quantified and presented in the final report. The ultimate outcome of this project will be an increase in the number of apple and cherry growers using advanced IPM practices that will in turn reduce the exposure of pesticides to the applicator, consumer, and the environment.

Literature Cited

Bessin, R. T.. P. S. McManus, G.R. Brown, and J. G. Strang. 1993. Midwest Tree Fruit Pest Management Hadbook. Univ. KY. 103 pp.

Howitt, A. 1993. Common Tree Fruit Pests. MI State Univ. Extension, North Central Regional Publ. 63. 252 pp.

McManus, P.S.. D. L. Mahr, T. R. Roper, and R. A. Flashinski. 2004. Commercial tree fruit spray guide. Univ. WI Extension Publ. A3314. 60 pp.

USDA agricultural census. 2002. http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/volume1/wi/st55_1_036_037.pdf

Timetable

Fall 2004 - Early Winter 2005

Conduct and facilitate monthly EQIP subcommittee meetings to determine appropriate practice standards that need to be edited
Edit current EQIP practice standards to incorporate practices, incentive and cost-share payments relevant to apple and cherry growers
Write proposal to present to the State Technical Committee to amend EQIP to include eligibility for apple and cherry growers
Create presentation for State Technical Committee meeting to get proposal approved for 2005 FY funding

Winter - Spring 2005

Establish three additional networks, including one for cherry growers
Organize and conduct local workshops for the new grower networks

Spring - Summer 2005

Aid growers in applying for EQIP funding
Provide education programs to improve IPM practices
Develop publications and website

Fall 2005

Evaluate success of project based on:
appropriated EQIP funds to apple and cherry growers
number of grower applications accepted for funding
number of pesticide applications reduced using advanced IPM practices
reduction in each orchards total toxicity score

Major Participants

Daniel L. Mahr, Ph.D.

Department of Entomology

University of Wisconsin - Madison

1630 Linden Drive. Room 545

Madison. WI 53706

Professor of Entomology and Extension Fruit Crops Entomologist. Will provide program oversight and will participate in organizing and conducting IPM workshops.

Regina Hirsch, Ph.D.