Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Minutes of SERA003 Meeting Adam's Mark Hotel St. Louis, MO April 3, 2006 Chairman Jonathan Edelson called the meeting to order at 10:30 am on April 3, 2006. This meeting followed a CSREES welcome reception on April 2 and IPM Coordinators National Session from 8:00 am to 10:00 am on April 3 at Adam's Mark. The first order of business was to introduce Jonathan Edelson (Chairman), Tom Fuchs (Chairman-elect) and Norm Leppla (Secretary). Mike Fitzner next presented a CSREES, Performance Planning and Reporting System (PPRS) update. Mike noted that the recent review of the regional IPM centers will be posted on the CSREES website soon. He said that there was a need for more high profile projects: success stories, action items and promotional materials (eg. fact sheets) to showcase the state partnerships for university administrators. It is essential to demonstrate the benefits of cooperative state and regional IPM programs. The review seemed too positive; more criticism and planning are warranted, e.g., some state coordinators have felt disenfranchised. It appears that each of the four regional centers will have a unique IPM program. The Northeastern Region conducted a facilitated planning session and the Western Region is having a retreat but the Southern Region may take a different approach to planning. In any event, standardized indicators of IPM success are needed to show the value of the IPM centers, especially for the Government Accounting Office (GAO). To help, PPRS now has two National Program Leaders for plant pathology to replace Dennis Kopp. A recent success is the soybean rust program led by Jim VanKirk with national coordination by Amanda Hodges of the Southern Plant Diagnostic Network (SPDN). This program is determining when soybean fields should be sprayed with fungicides and serves to support crop insurance claims to the Risk Management Agency (RMA). Growers can access information on the PIPE website (USDA, Legume Pest Information Platform for Education and Extension, http://www.usda.gov/soybeanrust). An IPM program is also in place for soybean aphid. Jonathan Edelson attended the ECOP/ESCOP Joint National IPM Committee and IPM Center Director's Meeting in Washington, DC on October 21, 2005. Updates were provided by Rob Hedberg, CSREES Science Policy and Legislative Affairs Advisor (Farm Bill), Eldon Ortman, CSREES Advisor (Restructuring the CSREES IPM Grant Portfolio), Carol Pilchner, Iowa State University Entomology Department (Evaluating IPM), and so forth (see attached minutes). Jonathan Edelson is following guidance from David Boethel, Administrative Advisor to SERA003, to re-write the project renewal (see attachment). Jim VanKirk presented an update of key SRIPM Center activities highlighting a grant writing workshop being planned with Eric Young and an 1890s/1862s workshop to be held sometime in June. Jimo Abraham has indicated that we need to establish cooperative projects to increase collaboration. The actual business meeting began with a review of the minutes of the last meeting in Oklahoma City, especially the Action Items (minutes posted on the NIMMS website, http://cipm.ncsu.edu/ent/Southern_Region/SERAIEG/). Tom Fuchs moved that the minutes be approved as read, Clayton Hollier seconded the motion and it passed. Considerable discussion followed on the advantages and disadvantages of meeting as SERA003 or just informally. Jonathan will seek guidance from David Boethel. ACTION ITEM: Henry Fadamiro was nominated as SERA003 Secretary by Clayton Hollier, the nomination was seconded by Gus Lorenz, and Henry was elected unanimously. ACTION ITEM: Doug Johnson proposed that the next meeting of SERA003 be in San Antonio, Texas at the end of March 2007. The motion was made by Tom Fuchs, seconded by Gus Lorenz and approved unanimously. State Reports: Florida (Norm Leppla)- A new IPM video was distributed and described, along with promotional materials for the state IPM program. IPM Florida is increasing educational activities and expanding several successful county projects, e.g., school IPM, biological control brain bowl, landscape IPM (http://ipm.ifas.ufl.edu). South Carolina (Geoff Zehnder)- Elementary school IPM is expanding but grades 4-5 are incomplete (http://wwwclemson.edu/scg/ipm). SARE supported development of curriculum for Extension agents at UC Davis. There is a module for IPM in organic crops (minus pesticide recommendations). Julie Sexton and Brian McCan (MS State) have developed 3-4 modules at dodea.ext.msstate.edu/regional_SARE/. The modules will be completed and available on the Texas A&M system by the end of 2006. Virginia (Ames Herbert)- An entomology and plant pathology photo guide to soybean, wheat and corn pests is available ($1.40, 10,000 produced) and will be updated on the website (see attached report). A cost analysis for maintaining the website was performed. Oklahoma (Pat Bolin)- Glance and Go Greenbug sampling guides were distributed and discussed, along with a Greenbug Expert System DVD. The IPM system will be adapted for other aphids in wheat, e.g., Russian wheat aphid. Alabama (Henry Fadamiro)- The IPM grants program averaged $3,500 per grant with 10 funded. Control is needed for yellow margined leaf beetle. Jonathan advised that control could be achieved by combining neem and pyrethrins. Henry has a project on Satsuma citrus and peaches funded by EPA. Organic vegetable production is increasing rapidly. A handout was provided on cotton, school and fire ant IPM (attached). North Carolina (Mike Linker)- Organic growers are asking for help in determining the efficacy of pest management options for insects & weeds. ARS has a laboratory at Weslaco, Texas devoted to this kind of research. IPM in schools may become law in North Carolina this year (see Greg Williams, Colby Schall et al. JEE paper last year on economic analysis). Louisiana (Clayton Hollier)- He is determining how to rate soybean rust in the field based on work in Brazil and assessing software that measures leaf area. He is also evaluating fungicides. Tennessee (Patrick Parkman)- The IPM Coordinator position in Tennessee is unfunded. The 3d funds are spent on salaries, e.g., urban, school and daycare IPM (25% increase in the past 3 years). Agricultural priorities include tarnished plant bug in cotton, soybean aphid, beet armyworm, phorid flies released to control imported fire ants, and grape root borer cultural control and pheromone traps to evaluate emergence through mulch. Texas (Tom Fuchs)- He has two IPM Extension positions available, a growing home pest management program, flash cards to identify household pests, and a training program for delivering the information (http://ipm.tamu.edu). The urban program is "Better Living in Texas" (BLT). Mississippi (Clarence Collison)- A success story is "Smart Soybean Management by Application of Research and Technology. Yield increases have been 10-15 bushels per acre on 34 farms. Visits to farms are made weekly by entomologists, plant pathologists, agronomists and irrigation specialists. A farm can be in the program for three years and one third rotate off every year. Sentinel plots are being maintained to intercept soybean rust. Soybean check off and 3d funds support the program. Arkansas (Gus Lorenz)- Major IPM programs are in place for soybeans, cotton, rice, catfish, and bait fish. Water quality is a major emphasis. Cotton aphid thresholds are being determined by monitoring ladybeetles (Tim Kring). Extension agents receive 3d funds through a competitive grants program ($1,500-8,000 per year with an average of $3,000-4,000 and a total of about $150,000 per year). An aphid fungus is monitored that kills aphids in 12-24 hours. Kentucky (Doug Johnson)- Kentucky has an aphid trapping system but needs more efficacy data on pesticides for soybean aphid. The meeting was adjourned at about 5:00 pm. Respectfully submitted, Norm Leppla Secretary SERA003

Eighteen research and Extension scientists and administrators with common interests in IPM discussed ways to advance the field. Of particular interest was the need for more high profile projects to demonstrate the benefits of IPM for university administrators and legislators. IPM Coordinators from each state in the Southern Region shared results of high impact programs with each other and others in attendance (see state reports above). Reports were received by Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Oklahoma, Alabama, North Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky. State IPM programs emphasized new IPM video; a module for IPM in organic crops; an entomology and plant pathology photo guide to soybean, wheat and corn pests; adaptation of the "Glance and Go Greenbug" sampling method for other aphids in wheat; handouts on cotton, school and fire ant IPM; an initiative for organic growers; a rating system for soybean rust; fungicide evaluations; IPM for tarnished plant bug in cotton, soybean aphid, beet armyworm, imported fire ants, and grape root borer; a home pest management program (flash cards to identify household pests); a training program for delivering IPM information; a success story in "Smart Soybean Management;" and major IPM programs for soybeans, cotton, rice, catfish, and bait fish. Advances in IPM for the year are available in detail on the individual state websites and are described in the USDA, CSREES, IPM annual reports. The annual reports now emphasize success stories for Areas of Activity.