The content of this course is tailored to the needs of farmers, NRCS, SWCD, Cooperative Extension, and state department of agriculture employees, as well as crop consultants, natural resource specialists, and non-governmental conservation organization staff.
Registration is $45 per person. Course registration includes the Xerces Society's Pollinator Conservation Toolkit and a copy of Farming With Native Beneficial Insects.
Please bring a sack lunch - lunch will not be provided.
Canceled registrations can be refunded until September 1st, 2016.
Wednesday September 7, 2016
9:00 AM to 4:30 PM EDT
Add to Calendar
Jillian Vento
The Xerces Society
503-232-6639
pollinators@xerces.org
The Xerces Society provides reasonable accommodations for special events with adequate notice. To request accommodation for events, please contact pollinators@xerces.org by Monday, August 29th, 2016.
The USDA and the Xerces Society are equal-opportunity providers and employers.
This Short Course is made possible with the support of the Northeast Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Additional support for this training is provided by the Audrey and J.J. Martindale Foundation, Cascadian Farm, Ceres Trust, CS Fund, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, General Mills, the Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation, Turner Foundation, Inc., Whole Foods Market and its vendors, and Xerces Society members.
Special thanks to Penn State University, and Penn State Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SEAREC).
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. The Society's Pollinator Conservation Program was launched in 1996, and works with leading native pollinator ecologists to translate the latest research findings into on-the-ground conservation. More information about the Xerces Society is available at www.xerces.org.
Header: Syrphid fly, by Adam Varenhorst. Sidebar: field observation of pollinators and plants, Anne Averille, University of Massachusetts.
Conservation Biological Control
Short Course
Penn State Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center
(SEAREC)
Landisville, PA
Wednesday, September 7th, 2016
9:00 am - 4:30 pm EDT
Learn a science-based strategy that seeks to integrate beneficial insects for natural pest control!
Beneficial insects contribute to natural pest suppression and potentially save $4.5 billion annually in pesticide costs. Yet the contribution of insects that prey upon or parasitize crop pests is largely overlooked. Conservation biological control is a science-based pest management strategy that seeks to integrate beneficial insects back into cropping systems for natural pest control, ultimately reducing and in some cases eliminating the need for insecticides. This strategy is based upon ongoing research that continues to demonstrate a link between the conservation of natural habitat and reduced pest problems on farms, orchards, and gardens.
In response to growing interest in promoting beneficial insects for their pest control services on farms, the Xerces Society has authored the book Farming With Native Beneficial Insects and developed the Conservation Biological Control Short Course to educate farmers, agriculture employees, natural resource specialists, land managers, and conservation organization staff.
SHORT COURSE TRAINING SKILLS AND OBJECTIVES
This workshop will cover:
Participants will receive the Xerces Society's Conservation Biological Control Toolkit which includes habitat installation guidelines and other relevant publications, and the Xerces' book, Farming with Native Beneficial Insects.
*Continuing Education Credits Available*
COURSE AGENDA
Welcome and Announcements
Module 1 - Farming with Beneficial Insects: Conservation Biological Control (CBC)
Module 2 - Common Beneficial Insect Groups
Module 3 - Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects
Break
Module 4 - Assessing Baseline Farm Conditions for Beneficial Insects
LUNCH - bring a sack lunch!
Field Activity
Small groups rotate through the following activities:
Module 5 - Designing and Restoring Habitat for Beneficial Insects
Module 6 – USDA Practices and Programs for Beneficial Insect Conservation
Module 7 - Q&A, additional resources, and course evaluations
INSTRUCTOR
Kelly Gill – Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Region
Kelly is the Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions for The Xerces Society and a partner biologist with the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Kelly’s position provides technical support for planning, installing, and managing habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects. A Pennsylvania native, Kelly completed her Master’s Degree in Entomology at Iowa State University. There, she conducted small plot and farm scale research, collaborating with organic and conventional farmers, on the development of best practices for conserving beneficial insects in agricultural landscapes.
GUEST SPEAKERS
Connie Schmotzer - Horticulture Educator, Penn State Extension
Connie works as Consumer Horticulture Educator for Penn State Extension in York County, PA, where she coordinates the Master Gardener Program. Since 2012 she has taken leadership for the statewide Master Gardener pollinator monitoring program, and the Penn State Pollinator Friendly Garden Certification program. She coordinates the Bees, Bugs, and Blooms trial at Penn State’s Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center, where 84 varieties of native plants were studied for their attractiveness to pollinators and beneficial insects.
John Tooker - Associate Professor, Dept. of Entomology, Penn State University
Dr. John Tooker is an associate professor of insect ecology and extension specialist in the Department of Entomology at The Pennsylvania State University. His research group studies relationships among plants, invertebrate herbivores, and natural enemies to understand factors that regulate populations of herbivorous insects and slugs. The long-term goal of his research is to exploit ecological interactions for sustainable insect pest management.
David Biddinger - Tree Fruit Research Entomologist, Penn State University
From a 5th generation family farm in Michigan with a BS and MS in entomology at Michigan State, Ph.D in entomology at Penn State, Dave Biddinger has been working over 30 years in developing tree fruit IPM programs for farmers that selectively control pests, but conserve beneficial insects such as predatory mites and now bees, and are safer to the applicator and to the environment. Dave put himself through school as an IPM scout and consultant in field crops and vegetables and worked as a Research & Development Rep for Rohm & Haas for 8 years before returning to the Penn State Fruit Research & Extension Center in Biglerville, where he has been the Tree Fruit Research Entomologist for 14 years.