Intended Audience
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.
Cost
Registration is $45, and required to secure your spot. Course registration includes the Xerces Society's Conservation Biocontrol Toolkit and a copy of Farming With Native Beneficial Insects.
Lunch will NOT be provided - please bring your own sack lunch and refillable water bottle.
Contact
Jillian Vento
The Xerces Society
503-232-6639
pollinators@xerces.org
Reasonable Accomodations
The Xerces Society provides reasonable accommodations for special events with adequate notice. To request accommodation for events, please contact pollinators@xerces.org by September 5th, 2017.
The USDA and the Xerces Society are equal-opportunity providers and employers.
Acknowledgements
This course is made possible with the support of the Xerces Society, Western Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, and the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District. Support was also provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Oregon State University, and the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides. Additional Xerces Society support was 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, Whole Systems Foundation, and Xerces Society members.
About The Xerces Society
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.
Photo Credits
Header: Pink spotted lady beetle (Coleomegilla maculata), by Jennifer Hopwood, The Xerces Society
Farming with Beneficial Insects for Pest Control
The Boise Center
Room 420B
850 West Front Street, Boise, ID 83702
Tuesday, September 12th, 2017
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Learn a science-based strategy that seeks to integrate beneficial insects for natural pest control!
Includes an afternoon field-tour with hands-on training
at Peaceful Belly Farms.
Farming with Beneficial Insects for Pest Control
The Boise Center
Room 420B
850 West Front Street, Boise, ID 83702
Tuesday, September 12th, 2017
9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Learn a science-based strategy that seeks to integrate beneficial insects for natural pest control!
Includes an afternoon field-tour with hands-on training
at Peaceful Belly Farms.
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. This two-day course will raise awareness of on-farm beneficial insects and the agricultural conservation practices that promote them in farming systems.
SHORT COURSE TRAINING SKILLS AND OBJECTIVES
This workshop will cover:
- The importance of beneficial insects - predators and parasitoids that attack insect pests.
- Overview of conservation biological control and integrated pest management (IPM).
- The most common beneficial insect groups and their ecological roles.
- How to recognize the habitat needs of beneficial insects and identify habitat deficiencies.
- The design and implementation of habitat improvements, including site preparation, insectary strip plantings, hedgerows, beetle banks, and more.
- The current best management practices that minimize land-use impacts on beneficial insects and mitigate exposure to insecticides.
- How to access USDA conservation programs for financial and technical support.
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*
- Certified Crop Advisor (6 CEUs)
- Society of American Foresters (6 CFEs)
COURSE AGENDA
Welcome and Announcements
Module 1 - Farming with Beneficial Insects: Conservation Biological Control (CBC)
- Overview of conservation biological control and integrated pest management
- Status of beneficial insect conservation
Module 2 - Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects
- Supporting beneficial insects with farm practices
- Preventing potential negative impacts of conventional and organic-approved pesticides on beneficial
insects (e.g. exposure pathways, toxicity, residual activity) - Mitigating pesticide risks to beneficial insects and other natural resources using IPM, PAMS, and
conservation practices (e.g. alternatives to pesticides, pesticide drift reduction, buffer practices) - Protecting overwintering and nesting sites
Module 3 - Common Beneficial Insect Groups
- Introduction to beneficial insects and the ecological services they provide
- Overview of beneficial insect groups (predators and parasitoids)
- Summary of beneficial insect biology and habitat needs
Lunch - please bring your own, and a refillable water bottle.
Module 4 - Designing and Restoring Habitat for Beneficial Insects
- Conservation practices that support beneficial insects (e.g. beetle banks, buffers and windbreaks, cover crops, field borders, hedgerows, insectary strips, wildflower meadows, and more)
- Habitat conservation methods (e.g. site preparation, propagation, and maintenance)
Break
Module 5 - Assessing Baseline Farm Conditions for Beneficial Insects
- Overview of habitat diversity values
- Introduction to the Beneficial Insect Habitat Assessment Guide to Inform CBC Planning
Field Tour and Training at Peaceful Belly Farm
- Tour of on-farm beneficial Insect habitat features
- Beneficial insect monitoring using Xerces' new Beneficial Insect Scouting Guide
Module 6 – Q&A, additional resources, and course evaluations
INSTRUCTORS
Jessa Kay Cruz, Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist, The Xerces Society
Jessa is a Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist for The Xerces Society, and a partner biologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Since joining Xerces in 2008, she has worked in agricultural and natural lands throughout the Western United States to create habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects, and to promote practices that support them. She provides education and technical support to a range of individuals and agencies, including farmers and ranchers, agricultural professionals, and land managers. Jessa holds a Master’s of Science in Environmental Entomology and Integrated Pest Management from California State University, Chico, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Farming from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.
GUEST SPEAKER
Ron Bitner, Bitner Vineyards
Ron holds a Master’s of Science in Entomology from Purdue University and a Ph.D in Entomology from Utah State University. He has worked as an Integrated Pest Management Specialist for the University of Idaho, and currently works as a Partner and Pollination Consultant for International Pollination Systems, providing consulting, management and brokerage of non-Apis bees on crops requiring bee pollination. He is also the owner/operator of Bitner Vineyards LLC, managing 15 acres of premium wine, sold under the Bitner Vineyards label and the recipient of Pacific Northwest Magazine’s 2009 Idaho Winery of the year.
Ron Brooks, USDA-NRCS
Bio coming soon!
Peaceful Belly was founded in 2002 by Clay and Josie Erskine. The farm has grown over the years and is now located in the Dry Creek Valley on 60 amazing acres. Peaceful Belly is committed to growing the most wholesome food for southern Idaho. Peaceful Belly believes highly in the integrity of organics and the farm is certified organic through the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. They grow over 180 different types of veggies, most of which are heirloom varieties. They believe in creating a healthy and sustainable agricultural system with their farming. Their practices include the use of cover crops, compost, drip irrigation, companion planting, and they never use GMO seeds. Peaceful Belly is not just a farm, but a way of thinking.
Jade Florence, Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides
Jade Florence holds a Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Pathology from Oregon State University. During her doctoral work, she partnered with NCAP to study the effect of mulching on mummy berry disease development in organic blueberry production. Following her Ph.D., she served as a volunteer plant pathologist and integrated disease management advisor for the Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office (PAFO) in Laos, Southeast Asia. Her work focused on determining the causal agent of watermelon wilt in Laos and training PAFO staff in plant disease diagnosis. Jade has a deep passion for sustainable agriculture, grower participatory research, and grower education.