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 Beneficial Insects Toolkit and a copy of Farming With Native Beneficial Insects.
Please plan to bring a sack lunch and a refillable water bottle!
Canceled registrations can be refunded until September 12th, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
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Liz Robertson
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 Friday, September 14th.
The USDA and the Xerces Society are equal-opportunity providers and employers.
This Short Course is made possible with the support of the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Special thanks to the National Butterfly Center for hosting this course.
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.
Farming With Beneficial Insects
for Pest Control:
Conservation Biological Control Short Course
National Butterfly Center
Mission, TX
Wednesday, September 26th, 2018
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Learn a science-based strategy that seeks to integrate beneficial insects for natural pest control!
Learn about supporting beneficial insects that provide pest control in this full-day short course. 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 pesticides. Join Ray Moranz, Grazing Lands Pollinator Ecologist and NRCS Partner Biologist at the Xerces Society, as he overviews conservation biological control and beneficial predators and parasitoids that attack insect pests. Participants will learn how common farm practices can impact beneficial insects and how to assess and create farm habitat for beneficial insects.
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 - Farm Practices for Beneficial Insects
Break
Module 3 - Common Beneficial Insect Groups
Guest Speaker - Russell Castro, State Biologist, NRCS Texas
Lunch - Please bring a sack lunch and a refillable water bottle!
Module 4 - Assessing Baseline Farm Conditions for Beneficial Insects
Module 5 - Designing and Restoring Habitat for Beneficial Insects
Field Exercise
Module 6 – Q&A, additional resources, and course evaluations
INSTRUCTORS
Ray Moranz - Grazing Lands Pollinator Ecologist, The Xerces Society
Dr. Ray Moranz is the Grazing Lands Pollinator Ecologist for the Xerces Society. Ray also serves as a Partner Biologist for the USDA NRCS, and is based at the NRCS Field Office in Stillwater, OK. His current focus is assisting the NRCS with planning and implementation of monarch butterfly conservation efforts in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Ray began studying the effects of fire and grazing on plant and butterfly communities in 2004, and earned his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Ecology and Management from Oklahoma State University in 2010. Prior to joining the Xerces Society, he worked for The Nature Conservancy in Florida, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in California, Iowa State University, and Oklahoma State University.
GUEST SPEAKERS
Russell Castro - State Biologist, NRCS Texas