Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:This project focused on reaching a diverse range of audiences to advance Integrated Pest Management (IPM) knowledge in Missouri agriculture and horticulture production. Primary audiences included: 1. Farmers: Our efforts aimed to increase Missouri row crop farmers' knowledge and awareness of IPM strategies. We engaged with farmers through multiple platforms such as field days, one-on-one farmer visits, a new text alert tool, electronic newsletters, the IPM website, and the pest monitoring network. 2.Crop Advisors: We provided crop advisors with opportunities to complete their annual trainings and access to information that enabled them to assess pest threats and provide recommendations for control measures. 3. MU Extension Field Specialists in Agronomy: We provided in-service education events with hands on training, weekly in-season teleconferences, and hands on field scouting opportunities to increase their awareness of current and potential threats in crop production and provide the latest information onchanges to pesticide application laws. 4. MU Extension Field Specialists in Horticulture: We provided in-service education events and weekly in-season teleconference calls with MU and Lincoln University State Extension Specialists to diagnose in-season questions and concerns from Missouri clientele and to update specialists on ever changing pesticide application regulations. 5. Graduate students and undergraduate students: Our projects included hands-on disease and insect diagnostic training for graduate and undergraduate students, which included handling of samples submittedto the plant diagnostic clinic and weekly scouting in corn and soybean fields throughout the state. This provided the next generation of pest management professionals with the practical skills needed to diagnose and manage pest issues. 6. Homeowners and gardeners: We sponsored programming for homeowners and gardeners to assist them with increasing their IPM knowledge and address their unique needs. This was done through weekly virtual in-season meetings led by the MU Extension Field Specialist in Horticulture and the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic; these virtual gardenhours were also posted to the MU IPM Youtube channel for continued accessiblity. 7. Specialty crop producers:We distributed hard copy, quarterly bulletins to Amish and Mennonite specialty crop producers in Missouri and equipped MU Extension Field Specialists with the knowledge and information to attend and share information on important or emerging pest threats at local Amish markets. Changes/Problems:One of the primary challenges faced during this grant cycle was significant turnover among key project leadership, including the Project Director and four Co-Directors, who left either the University of Missouri or Lincoln University. This leadership transition led to a rebudgeting request and caused delays in expenditures.Despite these setbacks, we were able to add new Co-Project Directors to oversee the pest monitoring network and a new Project Director to oversee theproject, including management of the statewide disease survey. Due to co-director departures, we had unused funds from Lincoln University near the close of the project. These funds were quickly redirected toward expanding training for MU Extension Field Specialists in Horticulture and Agronomy on new pesticide regulations, as well as emerging threats related to diseases, weeds, and insects. Additionally, we used funds to provide hands-on pest diagnosis training for undergraduate students, both in the field and at the Plant Diagnostic Clinic. Another significant challenge was a substantial budget reduction compared to the originally proposed budget. The reduced funding resulted in the withdrawal of a Co-Director with expertise in assessment analysies. As a result, we had to develop and implement our own assessment strategies, which presented additional complexity in evaluating the project's impact. A secondary, unforeseen challenge occured at the MU Soil Health Assessment Center, where the soil samples for the weed science project were submitted. Personnelturnover at the center caused delays in obtaining results, though this part of the project is ongoing. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided a range of training and professional development opportuniteis for various audiences. Undergraduate and graduate students with focus in plant sciences received hands-on training in skills such as proper soil sampling techniques, field disease identification, pathogenculturing, and best practices for documenting observations. Undergraduate students wtih focus on agriculture communication received experience working with the MU IPM's media producer to develop and publish content on social media and youtube. MU Extension Field Specialists in Agronomy and Horticulture gained practical experience in disease and insect identification through the objectives aimed at monitoirng pest. They participated in weekly in-season teleconferences to work with project director and co-directors to identify pest management solutions, and had opportunity to attend in-person educational events that addressed emerging pest threats in Missouri and provided updates on pesticide safety. Additionally, curriculum developed and presented by the project director and co-directors was used as part of the Missouri commercial pesticide applicator training and recertification training to educate over 1200 commercial pesticide applicators across Missouri and ensure they are equipped with the latest IPM techniques. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Throughout the grant cycle, we disseminated project results and IPM-related knowledge to a wide range of stakeholders, ensuring that both agricultural and horticultural communities in Missouri had access to the latest pest management information. Our approaches included multiple platforms and direcct and indirect oureach to diverse audiences, including farmers, crop advisors, MU Extension Field Specialists in Horticulture and Agronomy, graduate and undergraduate students, visiting scholars, homeowners and gardeners, specialty crop producers, and collaborators. Tools that we utilized to reach these audiences included online and media tools including the MU IPM website, MU IPM Youtube channel, electronic newsletters, text alerts, and social media. We leveraged multiple inperson events to disseminate information and these include the annual MU Pest Management Field Day, the annual MU Crop Management Conference, Master Gardener Training, and Pesticide Applicator Trainings. Weekly teleconferences were used to provide MU Extension Field Specialists with the latest information on emerging pest threats and management recommendations. Through these dissemination methods, we significantly increased the reach of our project results that impact a broad specturm of Missouri's diverse communities. Surveys of the Garden Hour participants and of attendees at the Crop Management Conference and MU Pest Management Field days all demonstrated willingness to change adoption, with regards to soil sampling or pesticide usage. Hands-on training provided to students and MU Extension Field Specialists provides a foundation for ongoing pest management expertise in Missouri. The Pest Monitoring Network text alerts reach over 300 subscribers to help agriculture professionals make timely decisions with regards to managing emerging pest threats. In summary, dissemination of project efforts have increased IPM awareness and willigness to consider adopting new IPM practices. These results should continue to benefit Missouri clientele and stakeholders. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Priority Area 1: IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops 1. Weed Management Practice Impact on Soil Health Research on the influence of agriculture on soil health often lacks a baseline or initial microbial profile for comparison. We established a multi-year demonstration site at Bradford Research Farm in Columbia, MO, to assess the impact of common weed management practices in corn and soybean on soil microbial communities. Undergraduate and graduate students were trained to collect soil samples, which were gathered annually from both soybean and corn production systems. Analysis of these samples continuesat the MU Soil Health Center. Although the analysis is ongoing, results from this objective will provide insights into how weed management practices influence soil microbial health. The results can help farmers, agriculture professionals, and researchers identify strategies to preserve beneficial soil microbes while managing weeds. 2. TheMU IPM Website The MU IPM website continues to be an important resource for communication, outreach, and education for Missouri IPM clientele. During the grant cycle, the website garnered over 1.4 million views, underscoring its significance. As a central hub for Missouri IPM-related information, the site provides an accessible avenue to engage with MIssouri stakeholders and clientele on relevant information to support informed pest management decision making. 3 and 4. Pest Monitoring Network and New Disease and Insect Surveys The Pest Monitoring Network was established in the previous grant cycle and continued throughout this grant period, expanding in year 3 to additional locations.MU Extension Field Specialists in Agronomy assist with weekly insect trapping efforts to monitor pest threats in Missouri's agronomic crops. Trapped insects are identified, counted, and entered into a database that automatically alerts subscribers to the network and data is also posted on the IPM website. A key addition in this grant cycle was expansion of scouting efforts to include disease monitoring in corn and soybean. This involved training a graduate student and several MU Extension Field Specialists in Agronomy to assist with weekly scouting of disease threats to corn and soybean. In the final year of the grant, we launched a text alert system to deliver real-time notifications to agricutural professionals about emerging pest and disease threats, including tar spot of corn, red crown rot of soybean, and corn leafhopper and corn stunt disease. The alert system has 305 subscribers wtihin just six months of beginning promotional efforts. This objectives has ehnanced pest and disease management across the state by providing timely, region-specific alerts that allow agricultural professionals to take proactive measures for pest and disease management strategies. 5. Kudzu Bug Detection in Southern Missouri This objective was cut from the resubmitted proposal following the substantial reduction of the inital proposed budget and departure of the co-director leading this objective. 6. Virtual Programming and Video Production Virtual programming and video production remained a key outreach tool during this grant cycle; however, the format evolved in response to changing circumstances. As the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, attendance at routine virtual town halls for forage and livestock, as well as for agronomy, declined. However, the infrastructure from these events proved invaluable. We were able to quickly pivot and organize drought emergency meetings during the 2023 growing season, ensuring timely communication and support for agriculture professionals facing "extreme drought", as classified by the US Drought Monitor Program, through much of the state. Additionally, the Garden Hour with MU Extension continued virtual programming successfully throughout the grant life cycle. The program reached approximately 9,400 indirect contacts annually through live sessions and recorded videos posted on the MU IPM Youtube Channel. At the end of each year, surveys are sent to Garden Hour viewers. Results showed that viewers are more likely to collect and submit soil samples for proper plant fertility and to submit disease and weed samples to the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic due to programming. 7. Virtual Scouting Schools and Other Collaborative Initatives Despite key personnel turnover and substantialinitial budget reductions, our collaborative efforts remaind strong through the grant cycle. Although a proposed virtual scouting school, suggested by a former co-director, was not implemented due to personnel changes, the project director and co-directors have continued to actively engage in multi-state IPM initatives. These include supporting and participating in efforts by the North Central IPM Center, the Crop Protection Network, and the Get Rid of Weeds (GROW) Intiative. These efforts have strengthened regional IPM efforts and facilitated sharing of resources and expertise, which contributes to more effective pest management strategies. Priority Area 2: IPM Implementation in Horticultural Crops Four objectives were outlined in Priority Area 2, focused on IPM implementation in horticulture crops. These objectives were to initally be led by a co-director from Lincoln University, a Missouri 1890 land grant school. However, following departure of the original co-director, we were able to securea new co-director specializing in commercial horticulture for the final year of the grant. Despite the leadership change, the program leveraged IPM resources, including the hard copy Missouri Producer Grower Bulletin, which is mailed to Amish and Mennonite growers; weekly teleconferences between MU State Extension Specialistsand MU Extension Field Specialists in Horticulture to discuss opportunities to disseminate information; and pre-existing relationships between MU Extension Field Specialists in Horticulture andAmish and Mennonite farmers and underserved person groups in urban areas. Examples of successful information dissemniation to specialty crop producers included raising awareness of the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic at Missouri Vegetable Production Auctions, educating Amish and Mennonite farmers on the proper identification of the spotted lanterfly, and increasing electronic newsletters and video access for events such as the annual Tomato School. These efforts help ensure that vital IPM knowledge reaches Missouri specialty crop producers, many of whom are from underserved person groups. IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities The MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic has significantly increased its sample submissions, reaching 900 samples in the last year of the grant cycle. These samples are submitted from a diverse range of stakeholders, including agriculture professionals, industry representatives, homeowners, specialty crop producers, and underrepresented groups. The clinic director has trained undergraduate students and visiting scholars, collaborated with the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) on key initiatives, including the Missouri Bioterrorism Working Group. The director was able to secure North Central IPM funds to further enhance outreach efforts to Amish and Mennonite communities. The clinic also contributed to the training of Master Gardeners and pesticide applicators. These collaborative efforts and educational initatives have improved pest diagnostics across Missouri.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/22 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:TARGET AUDIENCES Regional MU Extension Agronomy and Horticulture Specialists Missouri Amish and Mennoite Communities Commodity Groups Low-income Specialty Crop Producers Specialty Crop Producers Missouri Department of Agriculture STEM interns from underserved person groups and first generation college students High school, undergraduate, and graduate students MU School of Natural Resources Row crop producers and agronomy professionals MU Administrators in Extension and the Division of Plant Science & Technology Commercial Pesticide Applicators Community and home gardeners Master Gardeners EFFORTS In-service education training events (ISEs) for regional extension specialists on topics such as pesticide stewardship, pathogen identification, developing a hydroponics system, growing tomatos as a crop Weekly in-person clinic to assist Amish and Mennonites with crop problems Developing pest management research projects for STEM interns and graduate students Demonstrations and dissemination of sustainable weed management practices and fungal pathogen management at winter meetings and conferences throughout Missouri and neighboring states Assisted with training materials and presentations for commercial pesticide applicators, private pesticide applicators, master gardners, and Missouri Department of Agriculture inspectors Developed a text alert system for row crop producers and agronomy professionals Performed insect identification services for low income specialty crop producers Developed a video and disseminated information on the spotted lantern fly through IPM outlets: hard copy bulletin, youtube, electronic newsletters, facebook, Twitter Provided content for the MU Commercial Horticulture newsletter and hosted a commercial horticulture webinar series. Collaborated on community garden project and trapping for pests Changes/Problems:Our largest challenge has been maintaining cohesiveness in this project amid highpersonnel turnover. Four of the initial investigators on this project, including the original project director, have left the university or retired. We added an investigator in year 2 to assist with the specialty crop objectives and are in the process of adding another co-director to assist with insect trapping goals in priority area 1; objective 2. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training Activities Two MU Integrated STEM interns have received 1-on-1 training from mentors on this grant Six graduate students have received 1-on-1 training on pest management from mentors Regional Agronomy Extension Specialists were trained on disease and insect identification, disease severity, and insect thresholds for the text alert system Over 3,800 Master Gardners were trained on pest management in workshops Regional Agronomy and Horticulture Specialists were trained on pest management topics weekly during teleconferences and in-person service education events Professional Development Three graduate students have had opportunities to present to extension audiences and to teach high school students Technical media specialists has had opportunity to train in disease scouting and better understand clientele needs Technical staff has begun learning about soil health through the weed management demonstration Project director and co-directors are learning how to send out text alerts Provided co-directors the opportunity to interact and build trust with lower income communities through community garden efforts and commercial horticulture efforts How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Priority Area I: IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops:Information and results have been diseminated through electronic newsletters, text alerts, MU press releases, field days, crop management conferences, winter meetings, 1-on-1 farmer meetings, pesticide applicator training events, podcasts, radio interviews, social media, booklets, and videos. Priority Area III:Implementation of IPM in Specialty Crops:Information was disseminated through online webinars, in-person training events, 1-on-1 interactions with farmers and community gardeners, through the MU Extension Garden Hour weekly meeting, hands-on workshops. Secondary Priority Area III: IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities:Information about the clinic has been disseminated through collaborations with Lincoln and MU faculty, a promotional free wheat virus testing, 1-on-1 training of undergraduates, training of Master Gardners, training of regional agronomy and horticulture specialists through weekly teleconferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Priority Area I: IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops: Objective 1: Continue training regional agronomy specialists through ISEs and weekly teleconferences. Distribute suistanable pest managment information at field days, scouting schools, electronic newsletters, and texts. Collect end-of-season soil samples from the long-term soil health study. Objective 2: Send text alerts and electronic newsletters on emerging pest threats. Complete weekly disease surveys and insect trapping. Objective 3: Survey field day and scouting school participants for changes in intention or adoption of sustainable pest management practices. Analyze end-of-season online analytics. Objective 4: Assist graduate student, undergraduate student, and STEM intern with developing and presenting research posters. Provide graduate students with opportunities to present at field days. Help plan and support the Missouri Youth 4-H and FFA Crop Scouting Event. Priority Area III: Implementation of IPM in Specialty Crops Objective 1: Plan the fall 2023 commercial horticulture webinar series focused on organic production in specialty crops. Mail out 1 to 2 more issues of the Missouri Produce Growers Bulletin to Amish and Mennonite specialty crop producers. Continue to provide weekly in-season clinics for Amish and Mennonite communities. Continue to train regional extension horticulture specialists through weekly teleconferences. Objective 2: Continue to utilize insect traps on specialty crops to provide in-season thresholds and subsequent pest management strategies. Continue researching the effectiveness of trap crops for insect management in specialty crops. Continue to work with the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic and introduce specialty crop farmers to this resource. Objective 3: Trap pests at multiple lcoations across the state to collect data on thresholds. Draft a factsheet on pests and beneficial arthropods of elderberry. Objective 4: Request feedback from Amish and Mennonite communities by providing specific contact information in the hard copy Missouri Producer Growers' bulletin. Analyze end-of-season analytics from online communications. Secondary Priority Area III: IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities Objective 1: Provide a weekly "I See Sick PLants" segment to the MU Extension Garden Hour to increase awareness of the clinic. Coordinate with IPM multimedia specialist to send text alerts when samples of invasive and pervasive pests are submitted. Work with State Extension Specialists to write newsletter articles that promote the clinic.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
IMPACT STATEMENT:Missouri has a diverse set of IPM needs.The state ranks in the top 10 for corn, soybean, forage, rice, and cotton production according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA). Specialty crops are produced in nearly 90% of Missouri counties based on a 2017 MU Extension Specialty Crop Survey. The Missouri IPM project is a joint effort between the University of Missouri (MU) and Lincoln University (LU), Missouri's 1862 and 1890 land-grant universities. The programinteracts with outside entities to enhance education and dissemination of IPM materials for theseproduction systems.Examples include the MU Pesticide Safety Education Program, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, and MDA.Highlights from this reporting period include development of IPM programming shared with over 5,000 Missouri youth and expansion of weekly clinics for Amish and Mennonite farmers. Priority Area I: IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops: Objective 1:Develop and deliver time-sensitive information to farmers and advisors to allow effective and environmentally-sound decisions on in-season pest management. Major activities completed: Implemented a structured training plan for regional extension agronomy specialists. Continued demonstrations of sustainable solutions for management of herbicide-resistant weeds. Partnered with commodity groups to disseminate fungicide stewardship information. Collected soil samples for the long-term weed management and soil health demonstration. Data Collected: Participation of regional agronomy specialists in training. Survey of MU Crop Management Conference Attendees. Summary Statistics and Discussion of Results:84% of regional specialists participate in weekly teleconference calls with state specialists. Approximately 80% committed to a July hands-on training event.Dr's Bradley and Bish distributed information at > 30 meetings, webinars, or podcasts in Missouri and neighboring states, including Illinois and Nebraska. Dr. Bish discuss fungicide stewardship in 1-on-1 farmer meetings. A survey of attendees at the 2022 MU Crop Management Conference indicated interest to explore cultural approaches for weed control and increase scouting of insect pests due to presentations. Key Outcomes: Increased interaction and transfer of information among regional and state extension specialists. Regional agronomists are actively disseminating that knowledge to farmers. Intentions to change behavior as documented in the survey. Objective 2: Develop and enhance a monitoring system for existing and potential plant pests. Major activities completed: Completed 2022 insect trapping and disease surveys. Initiated 2023 surveys. Launched the Mizzou Crop & Pest Text Alert system. Data Collected: Weekly disease survey data and insect trapping numbers. Number of subscribers to the text alert system. Summary Statistics and Discussion of Results:Tar spot was confirmed in northwest and northeast Missouri in September 2022 by regional specialist participating in the weekly disease survey. Alerts were sent through the Mizzou Crop & Pest newsletter as the text alert system was not established yet. Over 100 subscribers have enrolled in the text alert system since the MU press release issued June 8. Key Outcomes: Established the text alert, which addresses a need identified in a 2021 survey of Missouri row crop professionals. Farmer interest to learn more about disease severity and fungicide stewardship. Objective 3:Document short- and mid-term impact results of outreach efforts. Major activities completed: Summarize online analytics of MU IPM agronomic activity. Conduct the survey mentioned in objective 1. Data collected: Analytics from Mizzou Crop & Pest Newsletters and social media presence. Survey response data. Summary Statistics and Discussion of Results:Dr's Bradley, Bish, and Tian contributed to 9 Mizzou Crop & Pest newsletters(readership of 1,760); >125,000 tweet views, and >9,000 Youtube views pertaining to MU pest management.Mizzou Crop & Pest newsletters were further distributed through online sites, such as AgFax (subscriber list of 23,000) and regional agronomy newsletters, such as the NEMO Ag Connections Newsletter (7730 subscribers). Survey responses were discussed previously. Key Outcomes:Continued desire of clientele to receive knowledge and documented interest in changing practices. Objective 4:Support development of the new generation of IPM professionals. Major activities completed: Collaborated with the MU PSEP program to develop pesticide safety content for youth. Mentored 2 students of underserved persons group. Advised 6 graduate and 9 undergraduate students. Planned the 2ndMissouri youth crop scouting event. Data collected:Number of students receiving mentorship or training. Summary of statistics and discussion of results:Over 5,000 Missouri youth were educated on IPM through the PSEP program.Three students developed research poster presentations. Five graduate students presented to extension audiences. Key Outcomes:Graduate and undergraduate students having opportunities to study and present on sustainable pest management. Youth learning about pesticide safety. Priority Area III: Implementation of IPM in Specialty Crops Objective 1:Increase awareness and adoption of IPM components by vegetable and small fruit farmers. Major activities completed: Missouri Producer Grower Bulletins (MPG) and weekly clinics for Amish and Mennonite growers. Provide training for regional horticulture specialists. Produce a commercial hort webinar series and provide content for the commercial hort newsletter. Host the 2023 Tomato School. Data collected:Survey responses. Summary of statistics and discussion of results:95% of webinar participants indicated the series increased knowledge. 85% of respondents to a Commercial Hort newsletter survey indicated changes in practices due to newsletter content. Changes included converting to no till and using cover crops. Key Outcomes:Documented changes in IPM strategies. Objective 2: Develop and deliver effective and environmentally sound IPM practices to farmers and advisors. Major activities completed: Continued research on trap crop strategies in cruciferous plants. Planted specialty crops to utilize for monitoring brown marmorated stink bug thresholds. Data collected, Summary of Statistics, and Key Outcomes: Nothing to report at this time. Objective 3: Develop and enhance monitoring systems for native and introduced specialty crop insect pests. Major activities completed: Identified growers willing to set traps out for in-season pest monitoring. Data collected, Summary of Statistics, and Key Outcomes: Nothing to report at this time. Objective 4: Document short- and mid-term impact derived from efforts. Major activities completed: Documentation of changed practices described in objective 1. Summarize online analytics of MU IPM horticulture activity. Data collected: Analytics from Mizzou IPM newsletters and social media presence. Summary Statistics and Discussion of Results:74 Youtube videos with >11,000 views; Twitter impressions >20,200, and Facebook reaches of 14,295 combined with documented behavior changes indicate effectiveness in this priority area. Key Outcomes: Documented changes in practices, knowledge, and use of IPM materials. Secondary Priority Area III: IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities Major activities completed: Authored newsletter articles. Distributed information to the MDA. Collaborated with LU to identify insects for specialty crop producers. Partnered with the MU Field Crop Pathology to provide wheat virus testing. Data collected:Number of samples submitted compared to previous years. Summary of statistics and discussion of results:180 samples submitted to the diagnostic clinic from September 2022 thru May 2023 is a 15% increase in sample submission from 2021-2022. Key Outcomes:Increased awareness and usage of clinic and new clientele.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Carraher M, Schoelz J, Bish M. (2023) A Survey of Pathogens in Missouri Soybean and Corn. North Central APS Annual Meeting. West Lafayette, IN.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Carraher M, Schoelz J, Bish M (2023) A Survey of Pathogens in Missouri Soybean. American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:MU ExtensionField Agronomy Specialists: These 16 specialists are MU's 'boots on the ground'. Field specialists have been trained by Dr's Bish, Bradley, Rice, and Tian through weekly teleconferences, an in-service education day in February, zoom meetings and extra phone calls when needed and received materials for identifying invasive pests. Topics the specialists have been trained on for this growing seasoninclude: how to submit samples to the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic how to sweep soybean and visually scout corn for invasive pests herbicide-resistance issues and chemical shortages for 2022 MUExtensionField Horticulture Specialists: These 12 specialists work directly with homeowners and commercial producer growers throughout Missouri. Similarly to the agronomy specialists, Dr. Tian and Dr. Bish connect with these specialists weekly to discuss horticulture IPM issues throughout the state. We are working to add Dr. Juan Cabrera as a new PI on the project going forward. He brings knowledge that has already begun benefiting the group. Row Crop Farmers, Crop Advisors, and other Agriculture Professionals:Dr.'s Bish, Guinan, Bradley, Teng, and Rice disseminated information on mulitple IPM-related topics to this audience, with estimated reach of >10,000 direct connections between these PI's and the audience over the reporting period. This excludes any third-party reuse of information. Select examples of topics covered include: evaluating the risks of glyphosate changing climates influences of weed management strategies on soil health non-chemical weed control options scouting for Fusarium headblight Specialty Crop Producers and Non-traditional Farmers: Approximately 340 producers in Amish and Mennonite Communities have received content relevant to IPM in the form of bulletins that are mailed quarterly.Dr. Akotsen-Mesh has conducted 9 on-farm visits and given mulitple in-person presentations over the winter to reach approximately 90 stakeholders and interested parties. Hewill continue to connect at field days during the course of the season. Home gardeners:Dr's Bish and Tian have worked to support field horticulture specialists in weekly conference calls with active home gardners. Select examples of topics covered on these calls include: Spotted lantern fly Protecting pollinators Fireblight Bacterial diseases of vegetables Students: Currently, four students are working on parts of this project and by doing so are increasing their awareness of IPM. Dr's Tian and Bish are mentoring MU Integrated STEM interns who belongto a racial minority. These students be introduced to IPM and a subset of objectives from this project over the course of June and July. Dr. Tian's former lab assistant in the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic has graduated and will be continuing her work within IPM as she will be studying Tar Spot, a disease of corn, during graduateschool in the fall. Youth across the US are working on a project created by Dr. Rice called The Great American Stink Bug Challenge. This year, the project has 350 participants signed up. The challenge allows students to get involved in identification and monitoring stink bug activity. Dr. Akotsen-Mensah is in the process of hiring two students that attend Lincoln University. Dr. Bish introduced students to details about pollinator flowers and earthworms at Columbia elementary schools. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training Activities Training of field extension specialists by state extension specialists through weekly teleconferences, 1-on-1 meetings, and zoom trainings on insect and disease surveys. Training of 14 graduate, undergraduate, and high school students by the PD and Co-PD's Training of audiences through 1-on-1 meetings, field visits, crop conferences, and presentations. Professional Development PD and Co-PDs on this project participated in 10 technical conferences during the winter Field specialists have the opportunity to develop writing and media skills by producing the Forage and LIvestock Hour and Garden Hour with MU Extension and other virtual IPM programs. PD participated in Designed Thinking workshopd uring the NCERA222 meeting and Women in Science workshop at the 2021 North Central Weed Science Society Annual Meeting. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results are disseminated through appropriate outlets that include: Articles in the appropriate MU IPM newsletter (Mizzou Crop & Pest News, Missouri Environment & Garden, and Missouri Producer Growers) Articles in the hard copy Missouri Producer Growers Bulletin Social media posts to MU IPM Facebook and Mizzou IPM Twitter Accounts Videos (long and snippets) edited and posted on the University of Missouri Extension IPM YouTube Channel Field days and Crop Management Conferences supported by University of Missouri and Lincoln University Field days supported by soybean commodity groups Press releases issued by the universities Field visits and 1-on-1 phone calls with stakeholders Training to field extension specialists to disseminate the information further Factsheets developed on IPM programs through the universities or commodity groups Information shared on the War Against Weed Podcast, which is supported by the North Central Integrated Pest Management Center MU Extension Administration who summarize the information for the Missouri Congress upon requests What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I. Priority Area I: IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops Objective 1. Develop and deliver time-sensitive information to farmers and advisors to allow effective and environmentally-sound decisions on in-season crop pest management. Complete the weed management and soil health demonstration study. Continue to develop content for the Mizzou Crop & Pest News. Host and share IPM information at the Mizzou Pest Management Field Day, which is set for July 7, 2022. Analyze feedback from field day participants on knowledge gained and that will be implemented. Conduct a crop scouting school in Lamar, MO on August 12th, and schedule three more crop scouting schools for 2022. Objective 2. Develop and enhance a monitoring and warning system for existing and potential plant pests. Continue to trap for insects and survey for diseases throughout the season. Report findings on a weekly basis through currently-available MU IPM tools. Provide opportunities for the graduate student to visit field specialists' disease survey sites and train with field specialists. Objective 3. Document short- and mid-term impacts from outreach efforts. Evaluate the effectiveness of the disease and insect survey reports by monitoring: Number of weekly views Distribution of updates through 3rd party agriculture news outlets Converse with field specialists and survey clientele to identify strengths, weaknesses, and ways to enhance currently available MU IPM outreach tools. Monitor the number of subscribers to MU IPM resources. Objective 4. Support professional development of the new generation of IPM professionals Continue to organize and co-host the Missouri 4-H Crop Scouting Event for youth to be held on July 19, 2022. Mentor MU Integrated STEM interns and assist them in developing research presentations for July 28, 2022. Continue to train high school, undergraduate, and graduate students throughout the season. II. Priority Area III: Implementation of IPM in Specialty Crops Objective 1. Increase awareness and adoption of IPM components by vegetable and small fruit farmers. Promote the Missouri Producer Growers Bulletin among the Mennonite and Amish communities by developing and mailing out postcards. Continue the Garden Hour with MU Extension throughout the growing season. Conduct multiple field days and workshops throughout the season. Engage in field visits and 1-on-1 discussions with stakeholders as needed to resolve IPM issues. Objective 2. Develop and deliver effective and environmentally sound IPM practices to farmers and advisors. Continue with farmer site visits and to conduct research that will address IPM practices during the 2022 growing season. As information becomes available, knowledge will be distributed through field days, workshops, videos, and newsletters. Objective 3. Develop and enhance monitoring systems for native and introduce specialty crop insect pest. Continue to trap insects throughout the growing season. Develop a notification system and share results at field days and workshops. Objective 4. Document short- and mid-term impact derived from extension efforts. Continue documentation of newsletter analytics and MU IPM resources. Promote pest alert monitoring system through currently-existing MU IPM tools. Develop and distribute a survey to better understand needs of Missouri Amish and Mennonite Clientele. III. Secondary Priority Area: IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities Objective 1: Increase awareness and usage of the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic (MU PDC) Continue to work with state and field specialists to bring awareness to the clinic and provide timely diagnosis and management options for plant pests issues. Continue to engage in weekly agronomy and horticulture teleconferences. Continue to engage in the weekly Garden Hour with MU Extension. Present MU PDC information at various field days throughout the season. Continue to train a STEM intern and an undergraduate student.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Missouri is home to 95,000 farms and a 93.7 billon dollar agriculture industry. Soybean and corn are the predominatecrops. However, approximately90% of counties produce one or more specialty cropsbased on a 2017 MU Extension Specialty Crop Survey. These cropping systems provide a diverse set of IPM needs. The University of Missouri (MU) IPM website has been a resource for stakeholders since 2016. The program's online presence continues to grow. However, opportunities exists to continue expanding Missouri IPM efforts. Thisproject is a collaboration between MU, an 1862-land grant university, and Lincoln University, an 1890-land grant university. Project director and co-directors have worked together to launch new pest surveys, increase awareness and sample submission to the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic by over 200%, and mentor fourteen students with diverse backgrounds. I. Priority Area I: IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops Objective 1.Develop and deliver time-sensitive information to farmers and advisors to allow effective and environmentally-sound decisions on in-season crop pest management. 1. Major activities completed: Mizzou Crop & Pest News launched in March 2022 and replaced the IPCM newsletter in response to a survey of 500 Missouri agriculture professionals. Weekly agronomy teleconferences began April 6 and providestate and field specialists opportunity to discuss current IPM issuesin the field. Dr's Bish, Bissonnette, Bradley, Guinan, Rice, and Tian developed and presented IPM-related information to over 11,000 agriculture professionals (conservative estimate). Dr's Bradley and Bish initiated the weed management and soil health demonstration study in May 2022. 2. Data collected: Analytics on Mizzou Crop & Pest News 3. Summary statistics and discussion of results: The newsletter has 1,734 subscribers compared to 1,340 at the end of August 2021. 4. Key outcomes: Increase in newsletter subscribers indicates awareness and desire for MU IPM knowledge. Connections between field and state specialists in weekly teleconferences provides transfer of IPM knowledge. Objective 2.Develop and enhance a monitoring and warning system for existing and potential plant pests. 1. Major activities completed: Trained field specialists and began monitoring for insects and diseases in May 2022. 2. Data collected: Weekly survey data beginning in May 2022. 3. Summary statistics and discussion of results: Nothing to report at this time. 4. Key outcomes: The MU IPM pest monitoring networkhad an increase of 489 subscriptions for alerts. Objective 3.Document short- and mid-term impacts results from outreach efforts. 1. Major activities completed: Surveyed 180 agriculture professionals to gauge opinions on how weed management practices affect soil health. Monitor analytics for social media, the MU IPM website, and MU IPM Youtube Channel. 2. Data collected: Survey responses Analytics on the Mizzou Crop & Pest News, Pest Monitoring Network, and MU IPM social media accounts. 3. Summary statistics and discussion of results: Year 1 survey results will serve as a baseline to monitor changes in opinions in years 2 and 3. MU IPM personnel made 38 Facebook posts with 6,413 reaches and 34 tweets resulting in 8,620 impressions. Analytics on pest monitoring and the newsletter are presented elsewhere. 4. Key outcomes: Increase in subscribers to the newsletter indicates desire for MU IPM knowledge. Objective 4.Support professional development of the new generation of IPM professionals 1. Major activities completed: Collaborated with Missouri 4-H to develop a youth scouting event for July 19, 2022. Serve as mentors to 3 STEM students from underrepresented groups, 2 high school students, 7 undergraduate students, and 2 graduate students. 2 and 3. Data collected and summary statistics: Nothing to report at this time. 4. Key outcomes: STEM students began their IPM-related projects on June 1. II. Priority Area III: Implementation of IPM in Specialty Crops Objective 1.Increase awareness and adoption of IPM components by vegetable and small fruit farmers. 1. Major activities completed: Dr. Akotsen-Mensah gave multiple presentations onIPM practices to approximately 100 persons. 14 Missouri Producer Growers newsletter articles were authored on topics such as nematode management and pesticide safety. The Missouri Produce Grower (MPG) bulletin was mailed quarterly to 342 growers in the Amish and Mennonite Communities. Weekly horticulture teleconferences began April 6 and provideopportunities for state specialists and field specialists to discuss current pest threats. The Garden Hour with MU Extension is a live weekly meeting hosted and supported by IPM staff and connects general public with extension specialists. 2. Data collected: Analytics on audience size, number of views and time on web pages. 3. Summary statistics and discussion of results. Garden Hour with MU Extension reached 1,302 participants via zoom. Read time and pageviews of the MPG newsletter are 2:35 and 50 views, respectively. This will serve as a baseline to evaluate progress in years 2 and 3. 4. Key outcomes: Increases in newsletters published is indicative of production of IPM information. Continued large audiences for the Garden Hour with MU Extension is indicative of desire for information. Connections between field and state specialists through weekly teleconferences results in transfer of IPM knowledge. Objective 2.Develop and deliver effective and environmentally sound IPM practices to farmers and advisors. 1. Major activities completed: Dr. Akotsen-Mensah conducted nine farm visits to directly interact with producers on IPM needs. Dr. Akotsen-Mensah began field experiments for the 2022 growing season to addressIPM practices. 2 and 3.Data collected and summary statistics: Nothing to report at this time. 4. Key outcomes: Visits to farmer fields indicates desire of stakeholders for IPM information. Objective 3.Develop and enhance monitoring systems for native and introduce specialty crop insect pest. 1. Major activities completed: Trapping began on May 12. 2. Data collected: Weekly trapping efforts. 3 and 4. Summary statistics and Key outcomes:Nothing to report at this time. Objective 4.Document short- and mid-term impact derived from extension efforts. 1. Major activities completed/experiments conducted:Gathered analytics to serve asa baseline for comparisons in years 2 and 3. 2.Data collected: Analytics on the MPG newsletter, MU YouTube Channel, and social media accounts. 3. Summary statistics and discussion of results. MPG newsletters were viewed 18,559 times and subscriptions increased from 361 to 471. 50 videos were developed and posted on the MU IPM Youtube channel with nearly 5,000 views and 200 hours of watch time. MU IPM personnel made 14 Facebook posts that resulted in 2,217 reaches and 18 tweets resulting in 2,843 impressions. 4. Key outcomes: Increase in newsletter subscribersindicates desire of stakeholders to receive IPM information. III. Secondary Priority Area: IPM Support for Pest Diagnostic Facilities Objective 1:Increase awareness and usage of the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic (MU PDC) 1. Major activities completed: Developed online tools to assist clientele in properly submitting samples to the MU PDC. Wrote IPM newsletter articles on sample submission to promote the clinic. Shared IPM strategies with homeowners through multiple presentations of the Garden Hour with MU Extension. 2. Data collected: Sample submission and IPM newsletter analytics 3. Summary statistics and discussion of results: Sample submissions more than doubled from 41 in January to May 2021 to 88 in the same span of 2022. Online submission and diagnosis comprise approximately 40 percent of 2022 samples. 4. Key outcomes: Increased usage of MU PDC and 1-on-1 conversations with clients. Developed connections with non-traditional stakeholders such as Master Gardeners and Missouri Dept of Conservation.
Publications
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