Backyard Orchard News
The Buzz About Pesticides
"Reducing the Usage of Bee-Killing Pesticides in My Community." That's the topic--and a good one...
Honey bee on a blanket flower, Galliardia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
He'll Give the Leigh Distinguished Seminar
It's quite an honor to be singled out to deliver the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished...
Professor Marc Tatar of Brown State University, Providence, R.I., will deliver the Thomas and Nina Leigh Distinguished Alumni Seminar at UC Davis on Dec. 5.
Bringing integrated pest management to bear on natural resource concerns
A training and certification workshop was held at UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center for agricultural pest management professionals and successfully added 23 individuals to the registry of Technical Service Providers .
The goal of the workshop was to train, certify and register individuals with integrated pest management (IPM) expertise to support the mission of the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) as Technical Service Providers. These new Technical Service Providers will support the mission of NRCS by augmenting highly technical areas in the development and documentation of IPM Conservation Activity Plans. Using private sector expertise in conjunction with NRCS personnel and UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines, additional services can be provided to landowners seeking mitigation to natural resource concerns.
The workshop was conducted with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension, the UC Statewide IPM Program, NRCS and the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists.
NRCS provides expertise to landowners to address and mitigate on-farm resource concerns that affect air, water, wildlife, soil and humans. In recent years, there have been increased requests for assistance to mitigate resource concerns linked to pests or pest management activities.
One of the trainees was Sylvie Robillard from Tecolote IPM Consulting, who has been a pest control adviser specializing in IPM consulting for 25 years in Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties. She feels that the use of Technical Service Provider consultants will increase the number of farmers using conservation activity plans for IPM. Farmers currently using Robillard’s services already practice IPM and have a desire to conserve natural resources so that they can continue to farm. Robillard believes that by using the USDA NRCS tools and being registered as a Technical Service Provider, she can better help her clients document and refine their conservation plans. With more Technical Service Providers, more farmers can become aware of and use Technical Service Providers to help create conservation activity plans for IPM and implement conservation efforts in accordance with NRCS guidelines.
Agricultural pest management professionals training to become registered Technical Service Providers capable of developing conservation activity plans that meet integrated pest management and United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service guidelines.
The Perfect Gift
So, you're looking for that perfect, one-of-a-kind holiday gift. One that will not only be...
This species, from genus Macrocopturus, is waiting to be described. And waiting for a name. (Photo by Andrew Richards)
Strange Little Insect
It's a strange little insect. A reader likens it to "a cricket on steroids." A Van Nuys resident...
A Jerusalem cricket. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Burrowing owls feed on Jerusalem crickets. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)