Renewed grant will continue UTIA’s integrated pest management program
Funding provides public resources for pest control and pollinator health
2025-01-09
(Press-News.org)
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) has received a $210,000 grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support ongoing integrated pest management (IPM) programs across Tennessee.
An environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that emphasizes affordability and long-term sustainability, IPM practices have been implemented statewide courtesy of UT Extension specialists in fields such as agronomy, weed management, entomology, plant pathology, soil health and pesticide education. The recently renewed USDA NIFA grant will support three priority areas within the Extension Implementation Program (EIP), including implementation in agronomic and specialty crops, pest control within houses and schools and improving pollinator health.
Ongoing IPM programs include the following:
Developing online resources
Training agricultural county Extension agents, farmers, consultants, beekeepers and other stakeholders
Monitoring and managing invasive and pesticide-resistant pests
Researching management strategies and their effects on crop sustainability
Educating private and commercial pesticide applicators
Training IPM decision makers in public or low-income housing facilities and in schools
“Since first implemented, we have fostered widespread adoption of IPM practices across the state,” says Heather Kelly, UTIA’s IPM program lead, Extension specialist and plant pathologist. “Thousands of agricultural producers, stakeholders and industry representatives have received the latest research-based information through our in-person events, on-site consultations and free online resources. In the last grant period, our urban IPM team also worked year-round to assist with pest control in 59 apartment buildings, 62 schools and other high-population areas, further improving quality of life for countless Tennesseans.”
USDA NIFA has recently invested another $20 million in Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) grants. The Tennessee funding is among 53 Extension Implementation awards addressing high-priority issues related to pest management using IPM approaches at the state, regional and national levels.
UTIA’s IPM program is made possible thanks to the collaboration of nine UT Extension specialists including plant pathologists Heather Kelly and Jensen Hayter, entomologists Sebe Brown and Karen Vail and apiculturist Jennifer Tsuruda, all from the UT Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. Also working on the project are agronomists Tyson Raper and Jake McNeal and weed scientist Larry Steckel from the UT Department of Plant Sciences, in addition to soil scientist Nutifafa Adotey from the UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.
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[Press-News.org] Renewed grant will continue UTIA’s integrated pest management program
Funding provides public resources for pest control and pollinator health
