The Integrated Pest Management 

 Education and Certification Project, 

 1992 Update 



Craig S. Hollingsworth and William M. Coli 

 Department of Entomology, University of Massachusetts 



The IPM Education and Certification 

 Project began in 1989 in response to growers' 

 requests for recognition of their IPM practices 

 and requests for additional IPM education. At 

 the outset of this project, we described the objec- 

 tives and planned activities [Fruit Notes 

 55(1):17-18]. This article is intended to bring 

 Massachusetts growers up to date on the accom- 

 plishments of the IPM Education and Certifica- 

 tion Project and to describe additional activities 

 planned for the future. Other articles in this 

 issue of Fruit Notes discuss specific activities of 

 this project in greater detail. 



The objectives of the Massachusetts IPM 

 Certification and Education Project are: 1. to 

 develop a state-wide program for the education 

 of growers and agricultural professionals in the 

 principles of integrated pest management; 2. to 

 develop guidelines which identify crops grown 

 using IPM; and 3. to assist the Massachusetts 

 Department of Food and Agriculture in the 

 design and implementation of a program to 

 recognize IPM performance. 



The IPM Short Course 



A three and a half day short course was 

 designed to present the principles and concepts 

 of IPM to growers, agricultural professionals, 

 and others. While other crop-specific IPM 

 projects have educational components in their 

 newsletters and grower meetings, instruction is 

 normally focused on techniques specific to that 

 crop. Aside from formal university coursework, 

 instruction in the principles underlying IPM has 

 been unavailable. The IPM Short Course covers 

 the ecological and economic basis of IPM, sam- 



pling, record keeping, biological control, pesti- 

 cides, as well as principles of insect, disease, 

 weed, and vertebrate management. Discussion 

 groups and videos are used where appropriate. 

 A manual containing IPM -related material, col- 

 lected from industry and leading University and 

 Extension programs, is supplied to participants, 

 and a display of IPM-related literature and 

 materials is maintained during the course. 



In 1990, one course with 50 participants was 

 conducted, and in 1991, three sessions were 

 conducted, attended by a total of 138 partici- 

 pants. In 1992, two sessions were held, one in 

 Amherst (21 participants) and one in Wareham 

 (24 participants). 



Courses have included participants from 

 Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, 

 Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and New York. 

 Of the registrants in 1992, 87% were growers, 

 including producers of cranberries (40%), apples 

 (29%), vegetables, small fruit, flowers, orna- 

 mentals, and greenhouse crops. Attendees have 

 included representatives of Agricultural Stabili- 

 zation and Conservation Service (ASCS), Soil 

 Conservation Service, Massachusetts Depart- 

 ment of Food and Agriculture (MDFA), Univer- 

 sity of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension 

 System, University of New Hampshire Coopera- 

 tive Extension, University of Vermont Coopera- 

 tive Extension Service, and the University of 

 Massachusetts, Boston. 



At the end of the course, participants evalu- 

 ated the course, including the question, "Would 

 you recommend this course to others? (l=not at 

 all, 5=very much)" Mean response to this ques- 

 tion was 4.8 and 4.2 for Amherst and Wareham, 

 respectively. Ratings were also favorable for 



Fruit Notes, Fall, 1992 



