On Monday, December 3, USDA announced over $33 million in funding for research, education, and extension grants that support innovative pest management solutions to address the pest and disease problems farmers face across the nation.
These grants were awarded as part of ten separate competitive grants programs administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for the Fiscal Year 2012, including:
- Regional Integrated Pest Management Centers
- Regional Integrated Pest Management Grants Program (Western, North Central, Southern, Northeastern)
- Pesticide Safety Education Program
- Pest Management Alternatives Program
- National Plant Diagnostic Network
- Methyl Bromide Transitions
- Minor Crop Pest Management (IR-4)
- Expert IPM Decision Support System
- Extension Integrated Pest Management Coordination and Support Program
- Promoting Integrated Pest Management in Affordable Housing
Over $17 million was invested in projects and grants that support the use of integrated pest management, which is an approach to pest management that provides producers with an alternative to intensive, conventional pesticide use. IPM relies on producer understanding of pest life cycles and their interaction with the environment by utilizing proper inspection, identification, and treatment of pests. IPM has been successful in reducing pesticide use on farm, minimizing losses off farm, and protecting human health through judiciously targeted pesticide management strategies.
The Regional IPM Centers grant program funds four regional centers across the country to address and respond to pest management issues specific to that region, and to encourage the use and adoption of IPM practices in agricultural, rural, and urban settings. Funding for the Regional IPM Centers announced this week include:
- North Central IPM Center, currently co-hosted by the University of Illinois and Michigan State University,
- Northeastern IPM Center, currently hosted by Cornell University,
- Southern IPM Center, currently hosted by North Carolina State University,
- Western IPM Center, currently hosted by the University of California.
The IPM Centers make up a national pest management information network established by USDA as a means of strengthening its connection between research and education and production agriculture and agricultural stakeholders in general.
A complete list of all FY12 pest management awards can be found here.