Index

WSU Fruit School: Pest Management

The Fundamentals

Achieving Control

Marketing and Regulations

Building a Better System

Washington State University, in collaboration with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, presents the 2008 WSU Pest Management Fruit School entitled:

Growers and Advisors Working Together to Optimize Resources.

The Fruit School will be held on December 10-11, 2008 at the Confluence Technology Center in Wenatchee and through video conference to Okanogan, Yakima,

and Caldwell, ID. Sessions will begin each day at 9:00 AM and end by 4:30 PM. Each location will offer snacks, a catered lunch, and an electronic proceeding of the event. For more information, or to register, visit the fruit school web site:

http://pmtp.wsu.edu/fruitschool

or call the Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center: (509) 663-8181. The deadline for registration is December 5.

2008 WSU Fruit School

Pest Management

Growers and Advisors Working
Together to Optimize Resources
 

Register Online:
http://pmtp.wsu.edu.fruitschool.html
 

DECEMBER 10-11, 2008

Sponsored by the Pest Management Transition Project

http://pmtp.wsu.edu

Live meeting Location:
Wenatchee
Confluence Technology Center
Registration Cost: $100

The fruit school will commence with an address on the state of the industry. It is important to understand why our pest management programs are changing and that it is possible to successfully manage orchard pests with the new materials that are available. The focus will be on building a new pest management system, not just substituting a new pesticide for an old one.

There are a few necessary elements that need to be addressed before a pest management system can be successfully implemented. Speakers in this session will identify and discuss some of these concepts including planning, sampling and monitoring, and sprayer cali-bration. In addition, the economic impact of these topics will be analyzed.

Video Conferencing Locations:
Yakima Valley Community College
Registration Cost: $75

Okanogan Agri-Plex Annex
Registration Cost: $65

UI Extension Caldwell Complex
Registrtion Cost: $65

This session will take conceptual pest management to the next step, working with participants to develop the skills necessary to implement a site-specific pest management system. Topics of discussion in this session will include using degree day models and the WSU Decision Aid System to make better management decisions, new pesticides that

are available and how and when to use them in a pest management program, how to improve sprayer coverage, and how to develop and implement a site-specific pest monitoring plan. TEAM software will be used to analyze the economics of using different approaches to pest management decision making.

Regulatory issues have had a significant impact on pest management programs. Under- standing the impact of current and future regulatory actions is important when making pest management decisions. Likewise, decisions made in the orchard can affect the way a crop will be marketed. In recent years, consumers have begun demanding agricultural products that are not only affordable and of high quality, but that also live up to certain environmental and social

standards of production. The rise of organic foods, fair trade foods, local and regional foods, and sustainability certifications are just a few examples of this trend. Growers that can meet these demands often tap into price premiums or marketing tools that can help maintain profit margins while protecting environmental and human health. This session will describe the growing consumer and public demand for environmental values and sustainability in agriculture, and will highlight

ways for fruit growers to think about these trends and begin to tap into these new markets.

Proper monitoring and decision making require allocating human and material resources. This session will focus on the resources needed and how the

quality of an investment in staff and technology can be improved. Topics will include: the business management of IPM, improving the quality of your investment in staff, improving the quality of your investment in sprayer technology, and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). For more information, or to register, visit the fruit school web site:

http://pmtp.wsu.edu/fruitschool.

Pesticide credits pending.