Every so often I am required to file reports on our work to funding agencies. Such a report was due this month to American Farmland Trust, who runs a grant program for EPA’s Strategic Agricultural Initiative. This grant funded John Aue’s time, the Bayfield and Door Co. interns, traps and weather monitors, the November meetings, training events in Michigan and Minnesota, and the work on EQIP.
We accomplished a lot with the grant. Some highlights from the report:
- We served at least 86 growers in core programming.
- Three quarters of growers for which we have multiple year data (15 growers) reduced their tox score by an average of 65%. All growers show an immediate improvement in their IPM scores.
- 55 apple growers are engaged in farmer networks.
- All of the four of the core apple networks are self-sustaining to some degree.
- At least 31 growers (apple and cherry) have EQIP contracts for IPM on 1750 acres, about 19% of orchard acreage in Wisconsin.
- We provide leadership to other states interested in pursuing conservation programs as a means to increase IPM adoption. See our Journal of Soil and Water Conservation article: http://www.cias.wisc.edu/archives/2008/03/25/eqip_support_for_ipm_in_wisconsin_orchards/index.php
- Preliminary analysis from the berry baseline survey indicates an average self-reported IPM score of 56% (26% low / 84% high). We are poised to launch two berry grower networks to raise IPM adoption in this crop.
Good work everyone!
