IPM in NRCS Programs

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IPM in NRCS Programs

• Joe Bagdon (joseph.bagdon_at_ma.usda.gov)
• USDA - NRCS National Water Climate
  CenterAmherst, Massachusetts

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NRCS Pest Management

• Primary NRCS roles
• Evaluate site-specific environmental risks
• SWAPAH
• Plan appropriate mitigation techniques
• IPM and other management techniques
• Including pesticide application rate, method
  timing
• Conservation Practices
• Including Residue Mgt., Irrigation Water Mgt.
  Buffers
• Help support the adoption of IPM
• Available IPM is required by the NRCS Pest
  Management (595) standard - PAMS

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Pest Management Environmental Risk Analysis

• Biological control risks?
• Cultural control risks?
• Erosion soil quality impacts (tillage)
• Pesticide control risks?
• Direct impacts
• Applicator safety
• Worker protection
• Beneficials (including pollinators)
• Wildlife (in the field)

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Pest Management Environmental Risk Analysis

• Pesticide control risks?
• Indirect impacts
• Soil quality - leaching to soil microorganisms
• Air quality - drift and volatilization
• Water quality - runoff and leaching
• Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST)
• Human drinking water
• Fish habitat

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Basic Mitigation Categories

• Reduce quantity of pesticide applied (IPM)
• Utilize less hazardous pesticides (IPM)
• Prevent pesticide from moving away from point of
  efficacy in the field (IPM)
• Prevent pesticide from leaving the field - bottom
  of root zone - edge of field (Conservation
  Practices)

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NRCS Pest Management

• Applying the NRCS Pest Management Standard (595)
  means that
• Environmental risks are evaluated for natural
  resource concerns (WIN-PST)
• Appropriate mitigation (including IPM) is
  included in the conservation plan to meet Field
  Office Technical Guide quality criteria
• Pest management is integrated with other
  components of the conservation plan

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NRCS Pest Management

• Applying the 595 standard helps
• Producers get credit for their mitigation
• Many practices are already in place!
• Environmental benefits of IPM are recognized!
• Justify USDA program payments
• Reduce the regulatory burden
• Conserve natural resources!

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NRCS Programs

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program
• Most challenged resources get first priority
• Incentives to try new practices (3 year limit)
• Conservation Innovation Grants
• Conservation Security Program
• To maintain and enhance natural resources
• Rewards the best farmers and ranchers who are
  meeting the highest standards of conservation and
  environmental management on their operations

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Conservation Security Program

• Tiered structure for contract payments
• Tier I, Tier II, Tier III
• More conservation equals more contract dollars
• Multiple payment components
• Annual stewardship component for base level
  treatment
• Annual existing practice component maintenance
• Enhancement component - exceptional conservation
  effort and additional practices beyond the
  minimum
• One-time new practice component

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Conservation Security Program

• Enhancement activities include
• Exceeding the requirements of a participation
  tier
• Improving a priority resource
• Participating in an on-farm conservation
  research, demonstration, or pilot project
• Gaining the cooperation of at least 75 of the
  producers in a targeted watershed
• Assessment and evaluation activities like water
  quality sampling

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Conservation Security Program

• Level 1 Enhancement
• Apply more mitigation than required
• Level 2 Enhancement
• Use only Low hazard alternatives
• Level 3 Enhancement
• Use High Intensity IPM Systems
• Focus on pest prevention and avoidance
• Utilize low risk biological controls and
  pheromones
• Judicious use of other low risk suppression
  techniques only when monitoring indicates action
  threshold exceeded
• Sustainable Ag and Certified Organic practices OK
• IPM specifications for high intensity system will
  be state and commodity specific so they must be
  developed in cooperation with local IPM
  specialists

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Enhancement Activities FY04 CSP - Pest
Management

• Agrichemical Handling Facility (Interim)
• Alley Cropping
• Conservation Crop Rotation to break pest cycles
  and decrease pest pressure
• Establish Filter Strips or Riparian Buffers
• Incorporate pesticides with tillage or irrigation
  water to reduce runoff potential
• Increase area of Constructed Wetland to trap
  runoff and drainage flow)

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Enhancement Activities FY04 CSP - Pest
Management

• Reduce pesticide application by using low rates,
  spot treatment, banding etc.
• Substitute non-chemical control methods
• Use pesticide formulations/adjuvants that reduce
  drift
• Use 2 crop types in 3 years
• Use 3 crop types in 4 years
• Use beneficial insect control

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Enhancement Activities FY04 CSP - Pest
Management

• Use only pesticides with WIN-PST hazard ratings
  of Low or Very Low
• Utilize GPS technology for banding and spot
  treatment of pesticides
• Utilize only pesticide application equipment such
  as Hooded sprayer, direct injection sprayer, GPS
  guided sprayer, band applications, spot
  treatments
• Utilize organic pesticide management

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Enhancement Activities FY04 CSP - Pest
Management

• Utilize pesticides which have a WIN-PST
  Soil/Pesticide Interaction Loss Potential and
  Hazard Rating of Low or Very Low
• Develop refuge habitat for beneficial insects,
  use pheromones, etc.

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FY04 CSP

• FY 2004
• 2,200 participants
• 41 million
• 1.9 million privately-owned acres
• 18 watersheds in 22 states
• 37 Tier I (20K max)
• 40 Tier II (35K max)
• 23 Tier III (45K max)
• FY 2005
• Greatly expanded nationwide based on funding?

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Suggestions

• Have strong IPM representation on NRCS State
  Technical Committees
• Offer to help NRCS with the state-specific
  versions of their conservation practice standards
  for Pest Management (595)
• IPM by commodity
• IPM principles - PAMS
• Focus on the primary goals of NRCS programs -
  reducing non-point source pollution to protect
  water, air and soil quality, and IPM should get
  its share of the pie!