Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

BRIEF SUMMARY OF MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING

In the morning there was a premeeting with all of the NC regional groups in attendance. This was a USDA-NIFA program that highlighted and discussed the continued development and implementation of a Regional IPM Reporting Tool. The purposes of the reporting tool will be to bring consistency in NIMSS reporting across regions, increase visibility and usability through a report dashboard and reduce reporting redundancy.

In the afternoon, NCERA222 participants met as a group. Hannah Burrack provided an update on the NCERA222 program including information on agInnovation North Central, Hatch research and a review of the NCERA222 project including objectives, timeline and responsibilities.

Coordinators from each state then presented on novel projects with multistate collaborative potential. Laura Illes and Daren Mueller presented on how to build a sustainable state IPM program, including tips for writing the CPPM proposal. They also led a discussion on the IPM center survey summary and identified larger regional issues we want to address as a group. This group also discussed the NCERA 222 objectives, how we are addressing them and if we want to revise them.

This meeting wrapped up with the election of the incoming chair, Anthony Hanson. Erin Lizotte is the current chair.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Objective 1: Increase the capacity of members to implement Extension based programs. Members from each state will share at least one innovative project or program that is currently being implemented.

• North Dakota State University shared their work on the IPM Crop Survey, a statewide survey of diseases and insect pests in what, barley, soybean and sunflowers. This system maps incidence and severity weekly and is posted on NDSU IPM Website. They reported a 2.7-million-acre impact for this project. They also presented on the launch of new public teaching gardens, continuing to certify pollinator gardens and lawns, creating pollinator education modules for use in schools as well as Master Gardener participation in Monarch Joint Venture milkweed and larval monitoring, and iNaturalist Backyard Bumble Bee Count.
• University of Illinois reported on their IPM in Public Health program which includes ticks & other pests. This project is focused on human and animal health (companion, wild, and livestock animals) with the goals of: Increasing tick knowledge; Passive tick collections; and monitoring via shelters, wildlife rehabilitators, and veterinary hospitals.
• Kansas State University presented on a new resource created by the Kansas State University Integrated Pest Management (IPM) team that is available to help them identify 13 common Kansas weeds. The card deck provides an innovative resource to teach identification skills in an interactive manner and a way to see the different growth stages of the plant. Each card suit in the deck visually represents the seed, seedling, flower, and mature plant for each featured weed common in Kansas agriculture production. A booklet provides a description of each weed featured in the card deck.
• University of Nebraska reported out on a project to monitor soybean gall distribution in 7 states. In 2024, the Soybean Gall Midge website saw a significant increase in engagement, reaching over 13,751 unique visitors from all 50 U.S. states and 72 countries. In-season communication on pest emergence and management was supported by an alert system hosted on the Final Connect platform, which delivers automated phone calls, text messages, and emails to 608 subscribers across eight states and two Canadian provinces. Participation in the alert network increased by 5% compared to the previous year. The 2024 webinar on soybean gall midge reached 248 participants across nine states, representing over 7 million soybean acres. Among 58 respondents, reported yield losses reached up to 30% due to gall midge infestations.
• South Dakota State discussed their Crop Tour IPM webinar series. Held three days a week for nine weeks from January to March. The series covers a broad range of topics including corn, soybean, small grains, sunflower & pulse crops, forages, specialty crops, precision ag., soil health, and climate & markets. This is their largest annual event which requires collaboration across multiple disciplines, organizations and commodity groups and Averaged 40 attendees per session for a total of 1,080 over 27 sessions
• The University of Minnesota reported out on their pest forecasting system. Specifically discussing the use of NOAA data to forecast soybean aphid mortality. Iowa State University reported out on the Crop Protection Network. This group engages Input from 387 specialists from 42 U.S. states, Ontario, and Quebec, Canada and generated 24 new publications in 2024. They highlighted the group’s real-time crop pest mapping system, ‘Bean Binoculars’, and the corn fungicide ROI calculator.  The Iowa IPM Program is expanding the reach of its youth-focused IPM resources by sharing them with broader audiences through a North Central IPM Center Working Group and other regional and national venues. These efforts aim to build capacity for Extension programming by providing adaptable, research-based materials that other states can use in their own youth education initiatives.
• Michigan State University reported out on a new system for measuring impacts from web article publications. MSUE publishes hundreds of IPM articles each year. Many articles are focused on current crop scouting reports and communicating IPM resources and strategies. In spring 2024 they added a feedback widget to our IPM articles to capture impacts via a Qualtrics survey using Skip Logic. Captured KASA indicators and received 1,500 responses in less than a year! Respondents reported adopting new IPM practices, learning about new tools and much more.
• The Ohio State University presented on their program Bee Tree Trails. Information surrounding public outreach focused on Pollinator Health and supported by the "Bees for Trees" trail project was shared with other NCERA222 representatives. This represents a new angle of IPM pollinator health education in Ohio and allows for use of free digital infrastructure to enhance learning in public spaces. The concept may also be transferable to other subjects of outreach.
• University of Wisconsin gave a presentation on best practices for producing in-depth videos and field-based videos to serve stakeholder needs. In light of continued programmatic cuts to outreach communication resources (i.e.. videography, editing, etc.), we took two steps to train and outfit IPM extension outreach members with create, edit and publish their own high quality and consistently branded online IPM educational resources: green-screen dynamic presentations and in-field IPM videos. With simple and affordable video recording tools, IPM specialists were trained to create dynamic, interactive in-field videos on scouting, diagnostics and other IPM-related aspects that can be published via social media and our YouTube channel and used in conventional presentations at farmer conferences.  The full-access green-screen recording room allows specialists to create and edit professional quality presentations on more in-depth subjects (such as mechanisms of pest resistance) to support the in-field videos.  These outreach assets have been highly sought after by IPM clientele and are currently undergoing significant expansion.

Objective 2: Review, prioritize and disseminate IPM research and Extension needs. Review key IPM research and Extension needs that would be useful in conducting Extension programs, informing research activities, enhancing grant applications and assisting with state, regional, national and international agendas.

NCERA222 participants engaged in a major effort led by Darren Muller to identify current investments in IPM around the country and to identify the needs moving forward. The full publication, Integrated pest management: state infrastructure status after 50 yr of Federal support (1973 to 2023) can be viewed at Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 16 (1): 30. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmaf016. The following is just a brief summary of some relevant findings.

Survey responses were received from 52 out of 53 IPM programs. Respondents were asked to report up to 3 of the most important IPM needs in their state or territory. Responses were summarized and can be generally classified into infrastructure or programming needs. Primary infrastructure needs were increased funding or support for outreach, replacing or increasing expertise, and additional staffing. A respondent from the North Central region summarized primary infrastructure needs with this statement “Despite the many successes of IPM, a major area of growth remains improving grower access and use of science-based recommendations and insights from university faculty, specifically Extension…Developing grower trust and reliance on Extension, necessitates access, useability and reliability. Major cuts to Extension support and the uncertainty of soft dollar funding streams limit the ability of Extension to recruit and retain talent to serve stakeholders and has led to staffing reductions that spread people resources thin”. Secondary infrastructure needs included improved external communications, funding or support for research, and having staff on “hard money”. Primary programming needs identified were related to pesticide resistance, safety, and education, overcoming barriers to IPM adoption and reaching underserved people.

This group is also part of an important national effort to streamline impact reporting which is critical to enhancing grant applications and identifying needs in the future.

 Objective 3. Increase collaboration and coordination between state IPM programs, NCIPMC related working groups and relevant NC multistate committees. Focus on communication and interacting with relevant NCIPMC-funded working groups and other NC multistate committees in an effort to reduce redundancy and create efficient streams of information exchange and proactive future activities.

The Iowa IPM Program actively engages in several Hatch Multistate groups (NCERA 137 and NCERA 184), regional ad hoc working groups such as the Southern Soybean Disease Workers and Corn Disease Working Group, and multiple NCIPMC-funded efforts. We lead or participate in collaborative initiatives including the Tactile Toolbox 3D printing project, the Alfalfa Working Group, and the Youth and IPM Working Group. These efforts strengthen communication across states, reduce duplication, and create efficient channels for sharing information and developing proactive, coordinated activities. Iowa co-leads the critical Crop Protection Network (CPN), a multistate collaboration that provides a centralized platform for Extension specialists working on field crops to share research-based, unbiased educational materials. Through CPN, we produce publications, videos, infographics, and online tools that are widely used across the region, enriching the knowledge base of IPM practitioners and stakeholders. This platform supports multistate programming by making high-quality resources easily accessible and adaptable for use in diverse Extension efforts.

Kansas State University is lead on the War Against Weeds podcast and the Regional Wheat Virus Working group through the North Central Regional IPM Center. We currently have 8 working group members on the following working groups: Tactile Toolbox, War Against Weeds, School IPM and Pulse Crops. Kansas State also has members who serve on NC 1197, NC 1208, NCERA 184 and NCERA 222.

The University of Minnesota has been working with other IPM coordinators in surrounding states to address new challenges in alfalfa weevil management. This includes coordinating research on weevil insecticide resistance and examining updates to extension IPM tactics for the pest. These collaborations have been used to explore future upcoming funding opportunities for region-wide collaboration on this pest. Minnesota collaborates with North Dakota State University on predicting winter kill for soybean aphids and region-wide maps of wheat and soybean pests during the summer: https://z.umn.edu/mn-ndsu-wheatipm. MN IPM collaboration also focused on invasive species such as cereal leaf beetle with NDSU and addressing horticultural invasive pests such as Swede midge and jumping worms. UMN IPM has been involved in the NCIPM Alfalfa Pest Management Working Group as well as NCERA184  Management of Small Grain Diseases, NECC2103 High tunnel specialty crop production, S1080  Improving Soybean Arthropod Pest Management in the U.S., NCERA224  IPM Strategies for Arthropod Pests and Diseases in Nurseries and Landscapes, NCERA137 Soybean Diseases and NC246 Ecology and Management of Arthropods in Corn.

University of Missouri collaborates with USDA-ARS on NC IPM critical issues project: Tracking Flight Activity of Corn Leafhopper and Detection of Corn Stunt Disease Across the USA Midwest. NC1197 Practical Management of Nematodes on Corn, Soybean, and Other Crops of Regional Importance. Also has participants in NCERA13 Soil Testing and Plant Analysis, NC1210 Frontiers in On-Farm Experimentation, and NCERA137 Soybean Diseases.

University of Nebraska Recently funded NCIPM Center funded project in NE. Integrated management of herbicide-resistant volunteer corn in corn: Research & Extension ($30,000). PD: Amit Jhala. Many University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty members are members of USDA Multistate Committees including NC246 Ecology and Management of Arthropods in Corn (Co-PI Dr. McMechan); NC1173: Sustainable Solutions to Problems Affecting Bee Health (Co-PI Dr. Wu-Smart); and S1080: Improving Soybean Arthropod Pest Management (Co-PI Dr. McMechan). The Project Director (PD) and IPM Coordinator Dr. Amit Jhala is a member of NCERA222 and active contributor and member of North Central Weed Science Society and Weed Science Society of America. Dr. Jhala is also a member and contributor of Get Rid of Weeds (GROW) through IPM, Co-PI Dr. Wu-Smart and Jennifer Weisbrod, Pesticide Safety & Education Program Coordinator, are members of the Mid-Western Managed Pollinator Protection Plan (MP3) Working Group, and IPM4Bees Working Group supported by the North Central IPM Center

North Dakota State University IPM related working groups and multistate committees include the Pulse Crops Working Group, Extension Entomologists Working Group, Crop Protection Network, and the Sunflower Pathology Working Group. Multistate committees include NCERA222, NCERA137, NC246, NCERA184, and S1080.

Michigan State University faculty participate in many multistate groups. The following highlights IPM focused groups; NC1208 Biology, Etiology, and Management of Dollar Spot in Turfgrasses, NE2140 Sustainable Management of Nematodes in Plant and Soil Health Systems, and NCERA137: Soybean Diseases. MSU also participated in NCIPM Center working groups including Great Lakes Fruit Workers, Great Lakes Vegetable Workers, Great Lakes Hop Working Group and the Managed Pollinator Protection Plans group.

The Ohio State participates in North Central IPM, Great Lakes Urban Agriculture Working Group, Great Lakes Vegetable Working Group, Connect Extension National Urban Extension Leaders, Crop Protection Network

Objective 4. Facilitate multistate programming to share curriculum and educational materials. Provide publications, workshops and concepts that might have regional interest, enrich the knowledge base of members and positively impact end users in other states.

Participants reported out on curriculum and educational materials that may be of interest to other states during our annual meeting. Several NCERA222 participants are currently working to develop the next NCERA222 proposal for this group and continuing to evolve our objectives over time. At our annual meeting, one experienced IPM Coordinator discussed how to make IPM Programs more sustainable, and all members shared examples of publications, workshops and concepts that might have regional interest, enrich the knowledge base of members and positively impact end users in other states. This group is active on Basecamp, sharing new resources that may have regional applications, sharing job postings to recruit desirable candidates into IPM focused positions as well as seeking interested parties to participate in ongoing projects.  

Publications

Chahal, K; Wachendorf, E.; Miles, L.A,; Stallmann, A.; Lizotte, E.; Mandujano, M.; Byrne, J.; Miles, T.D.; and Sakalidis, M.L.. 2024. First Report of Bretziella fagacearum Infecting Chestnut in Michigan. Plant Disease, 2024, Vol. 108, Issue 5, p1397.

Johnson, A., Mchinnis, E., and Knodel, J. 2024. The Monarch Butterfly Part II: Conservation Gardens in the Northern Plains. NDSU Extension Publication E2236, May 2024.

Legleiter, T., T. Butts, A. Essman, J. Ikley, S. Lancaster, R. Werle. 2024. Adjuvants with Herbicides. When and Why They are Needed. CPN-4011. doi: 10.31274/cpn-20240520-0 2024 CPN Cultivator Award – most viewed CPN publication

Markell, S., Webster, R.W., and Malvick, D. 2024. Soybean Disease Diagnostic Series. NDSU Extension Publication PP1867, January 2024.

Mueller, D.S., Iles, L.C., Pilcher, C., Sisson, A.J., Magarey, R., Adams, R., Almodovar, W.I., Alston, D., Beauzay P., Bessin, R., Bish, M., Burrows, M., Calixto, A., Chandran, R., Colquhoun, J.B., Concklin, M., Dreves, A.J., Ellsworth, P.C., Esker, P.D., Farrar, J., Fournier, A., Frank, D., Hamby, K., Hamilton, G., Hanson, A., Hazelrigg, A., Hein-Ferris, N., Held, D., Jasinski, J., Kelly, H.M., Kerns, D., Kersten, M., Kerzicnik, L.M., Knodel, J., Koehler, G., Kratsch, H., Krupke, C.H., Leppla, N.C., Lizotte, E., Matney, C., Melanson, R.A., Miller, F., Murray, M., Owens, D., Plewa, D., Reay-Jones, F., Rondon, S.I., Royer, T.A., Rozeboom, P.A., Sandler, H., Schell, S.P., Schuh, M., Seipel, T., Seth-Carley, D., Sial, A., Singh, R., Smith, D.L., Stock, T., Studebaker, G., Szczepaniec, A., Tewksbury, L., Tooker, J., Varenhorst, A.J., Vinchesi-Vahl, A., Walsh, D., Wickwar, D., Wright, R.J., and Zebelo, S. 2025. Integrated Pest Management (IPM): State infrastructure status after 50 years of federal support (1973-2023). Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 16 (1): 30. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmaf016

Peters, T., Ikley, J., Sarangi, D., and Nicolai, D. 2024. Herbicide Resistant Traits in Minnesota and North Dakota. NDSU Extension Publication PS1945, January 2024.

Wise K, Allen T, Bradley C, Camiletti BX, Chilvers M, Mangel D, Mathew F, Mueller D, Sisson A, Smith D, and Tenuta A (2025) Scouting for soybean stem diseases. Crop Protection Network. CPN 1002.

Wise K, Mueller D, Bradley C, Chilvers M, Duffeck M, Mangel D, Sisson A, Smith D, and Tenuta A (2025) Soybean stem zone lines: fact or fiction. Crop Protection Network. CPN 1015.

Wise K, Mueller D, Bradley C, Chilvers, Lopez-Nicora H, Mangel D, Sisson A, Smith D, and Tenuta A (2025) Soybean seed treatments: Questions that emerge when plants don’t. Crop Protection Network. CPN 1016.

Educational Materials

War Against Weeds podcasts (funded by NCIPMC) https://waragainstweeds.libsyn.com/  also available at CPN website https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/

Spotted lanternfly resources from MSU Extension, January 14, 2025. Michigan State University Extension News.

EPA’s Vulnerable Species Action Plan may impact pesticide applicators in Michigan, November 11, 2024. Michigan State University Extension News.