Duration: 10/01/2011 to 09/30/2016

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

In the northeastern United States, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) encompasses a wide range of activities ranging from IPM in agriculture to school and urban IPM. With global and regional demands to keep food production sustainable, safe, economic, and socially acceptable, IPM plays an integral role in both commercial agricultural operations and non-crop situations to achieve this end.

The Extension IPM program established in 1971 with annually earmarked Smith-Lever 3d formula funds to support IPM programming in each state was terminated in 2008. These funds were made available on competitive basis through a grants program administered by USDA-NIFA. IPM Coordinators, based on collaborations with state government agencies, universities, and other federal agencies, have the unique ability to link state-level IPM networks with regional and national IPM networks.

The twelve states in the Northeast have research and extension programs that address IPM. IPM programs are often similar in adjoining states, so collaboration across state lines has always been practiced to a certain extent. The IPM coordinators in the Northeast began meeting as a group informally in the 1980s. As the value of meeting, exchanging information and planning collaborations increased, the informal meetings grew into multi-day formal meetings and included representatives from other agencies (e.g., EPA and state departments of agriculture) and other programs (e.g., SARE). The NEERA 1001 (referred to as Northeast Research, Extension, and Academic Project committee on IPM from 1996 to 2011, and NREC-IPM prior to 1996) was approved by the Northeast Directors in 2001 and is advised by representative research and extension administrators. In 2002, Regional IPM Centers were established in each region by CSREES (former NIFA). NEERA 1001 took on the responsibility of advising the Northeast IPM Center in addition to their regular activities.

The NEERA 1001 group, consisting of members with a broad base of knowledge and expertise, helps to prioritize IPM research and extension projects based on stakeholder needs in the region. With the ongoing changes in federally allocated monies that support agricultural research in land grant universities, multi-state cooperation is expected to play a vital role to maintain strong and viable IPM projects in the region. The NEERA 1001 group, while maintaining close ties with the NE IPM Center at the advisory and functional level, continues to play the distinctive role of spearheading IPM efforts of the region and supporting a regional IPM vision.

We propose that the Northeast Directors approve the extension of NEERA 1001 for five more years.

NEERA 1001 Mission Statement:

The Northeast Region Technical Committee on IPM is responsible for improving communication and cooperation throughout the region between research, extension personnel working on IPM projects. The committee, comprising extension and research representatives from Land Grant Universities in each cooperating state, the EPA and USDA, also plans and promotes the development of multistate IPM research and extension programs, provides oversight on the evaluation and impact of IPM programs, and serves in an advisory capacity to the Northeastern IPM Center.

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

As a result of meeting the objectives the committee will continue to:

• Provide leadership to address evolving opportunities and challenges related to IPM in the region.
  
• Maintain collaboration with national IPM programming efforts and represent regional IPM interests in the National arena.
  
• Serve as the only meeting/forum where all the IPM Coordinators from the Northeast meet to discuss programs, issues, and stakeholder concerns directly. Opportunities for collaboration among states are directly discussed by state-designated extension, and/or research, representatives from each state.
  
• Serve in an advisory capacity to the Northeastern IPM Center.
  
• Report state IPM activities to regional representatives annually.
  
• Monitor and document the impact of emergent pest outbreaks and their control strategies on IPM.
  
• Monitor and document the impact of emerging technologies such as Genetically Modified Crops on IPM.
  

NEERA 1001 brings together a dedicated group of scientists, educators, specialists, regulators, and administrators, representing various universities, disciplines and governmental agencies, yet, share a common interest in IPM. The synergism and energy created through the critical thoughts and interactive efforts of this group has doubtlessly created significant advances in IPM in the region. The procedures and activities of this group are listed below.

1. NEERA 1001 includes the IPM Coordinator from every land-grant institution and research representatives from about half of the regions land-grant universities. Partner agencies EPA and SARE-Northeast participate actively. NEERA 1001 meets annually to discuss important issues, share experiences and plans, devise regional responses to national issues, and coordinate collaborative multi-state activities. Working groups confer throughout the year to develop action recommendations for NEERA 1001.

2. Two NEERA 1001 officers (current chairperson and chairperson elect) serve on the ECOP/ESCOP National IPM Committee. Representatives of EPA and SARE-NE are active participants with NEERA 1001. The SARE-NE grants program technical review panel usually includes a representative from NEERA 1001.

3. Use of an electronic bulletin board will be discussed by the group. The purpose would be to post issues perceived by the members from time to time and to discuss them at annual meetings or teleconference calls if needed. It would also serve to establish electronic networking capabilities for information transfer.

4. The chair plus another member of NEERA 1001 serve on the Advisory Council and Steering Committee of the Northeastern IPM Center.

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

Both NEERA 1001 and the Northeastern IPM Center will continue to develop a sound educational plan related to the IPM needs of the region and will shift their emphases on a need basis. Recent educational efforts on brown marmorated stink bug, spotted wing drosophila, soybean rust, etc., have demonstrated the synergism obtained through their collaborative efforts. Efforts will also be geared towards web-based technologies such as webinars to bring IPM to a new level of effectiveness and collaboration. The rapidly growing organic sector, the increasing interest in Community Supported Agriculture and the growing non-traditional farming operations managed by women and immigrant minority populations will require more educational efforts to meet the needs of such operations.

NEERA 1001 will play a crucial role in educating the public about new invasive pests as they emerge, to understand their biology, and to manage them. With the addition of urban/suburban/community goals to the National IPM Roadmap, the recognition that the Northeast has been seeking in this arena has arrived. Northeastern LGUs will reapportion their attention to urban/suburban issues at the expense of large-scale agriculture. Educational efforts will be planned along with the Center to develop enterprises in urban areas where demands for fresh, locally produced, high value products are on the rise. Issues of sprawl will become more important as urban centers expand into the agricultural countryside and edge cities continue to take shape. Rural/urban friction will become acute. This friction includes incompatibilities between farms and neighborhoods, including flies associated with animal agriculture, pesticide drift, and water protection. Again, collaborative educational efforts would help ameliorate these frictions.

Northeastern governors and legislatures are stepping up their concern for maintaining ecological resources of the Northeast. Water protection, farm land preservation, sustainable forestry and enhancement of recreational areas all have IPM components. Underserved citizens are found in many places in the Northeast. They are mainly concentrated in the older parts of our cities. The buildings, schools, and neighborhoods in these parts of the cities suffer some of the most debilitating pest problems found in the region. Roaches, rats, and mice degrade the health and welfare of the residents who do not possess the means or knowledge to control them. IPM-based educational programs will continue to be developed in the region to meet their needs.

IPM requires a knowledgeable practitioner, but it also requires and informed consumer. Consumers choosing IPM-produced products are a powerful market incentive for practitioners to adopt more IPM. Consumer education from formal public school instruction to adult education will result in positive feedback to our farmers who practice IPM. In addition, informed citizens will be more responsive in the political arena when issues of environmental protection and human health are in play.

Organization/Governance

NEERA 1001 includes the IPM Coordinator and research representative from the region's land-grant universities. Representative from EPA and SARE-Northeast also participate actively. Working groups confer throughout the year to develop action recommendations for NEERA 1001. Two NEERA 1001 officers (current chairperson and chairperson elect) serve on the ECOP/ESCOP National IPM Committee. The chair and one member of NEERA 1001 serve on the Advisory Council and Steering Committee of the Northeastern IPM Center.

Duplication of effort will be minimized as a result of frequent communication, and synergistic collaboration will be optimized. Needs assessment, program development, implementation and evaluation for the regions IPM programs will all reflect inputs from a broad range of stakeholders including consumers, environmentalists, producers, managers and other IPM users. IPM programs in the region will be networked with national IPM leadership, with land grant IPM partners from other regions, with other public agencies, with appropriate non-governmental organizations, and with private sector partners. Results from and products of IPM programs in the region will be made available to the NE IPM Center to provide access for all interested parties. Accountability and evaluation information about IPM programs in the region will be easily attainable by all interested parties.

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

CT, DE, MA, NJ, NY, RI, VA, VT, WV

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

University of Maryland