Source: UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE submitted to NRP
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT EXTENSION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1033037
Grant No.
2024-70006-43535
Cumulative Award Amt.
$124,915.00
Proposal No.
2024-03454
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2024
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2025
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[EIP]- Extension Implementation Program
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
51 COLLEGE RD SERVICE BLDG 107
DURHAM,NH 03824
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
New Hampshire's 2024-27 IPM Extension Implementation plan outlines the top learning objectives we have identified, with help from our stakeholders, in implementation of IPM tools & tactics in Agronomic Crops (5%), Communities (5%), Public Health (5%), Specialty Crops (55%), and Support for Diagnostic Services (5%). Learning objectives in each program priority include basic biology and monitoring strategies for new and emerging pests, IPM program adaptations to climate shifts, principles of resistance management for problematic key pest species, and increased education on public health pests, like ticks. We seek to pair in-person learning opportunities with digital content, in order to expand our reach to underserved audiences. We propose several milestone measurements to track behavior changes in our client audiences over the course of the project, including disease management for small grains, using new rotational materials for pests with reported chemical resistance, accessing web-based weather monitoring tools for predicting disease and insect risk, and adapting IPM programs to extreme weather events. A small portion of our effort will also include some on-farm IPM demonstrations and multiple outreach components, which will serve both to display efficacy of IPM tools and tactics, generate new information to clientele, and increase adoption of IPM strategies. We will also be using texting as a new communication tool with our specialty crop producers. This proposal also outlines our collaborations with other land-grant universities, partner agencies, and the state of New Hampshire to successfully provide IPM outreach and direct technical assistance to agriculture producers and the community of New Hampshire, as well as areas where our team members seek professional development.There are an estimated 1.3 million people living in New Hampshire and roughly 1 million of those residents live in areas considered by the USDA to be rural. New Hampshire farmers are stewards to 474,000 acres of land and the agricultural industry provides products and services to local, state, national and international markets, worth about $1.5 billion annually. Agriculture is a major influence on the state's quality of life and character and our agriculture is based on small, diversified farms, which rely heavily on retail marketing and agritourism. We rank top in the nation in terms of the percentage of farms reporting direct-to-consumer sales and there is a strong personal connection between agricultural producers and their customers. We therefore devote a majority of our IPM educational efforts to meet the unique needs of NH's agricultural communities, however all residents of NH will benefit from IPM's protection of land and water, as well as direct reduction of risk where they live, learn, work and play.We teach all audiences to take a more comprehensive approach to pest problems, combining preventative measures, monitoring, and various controls. We try to reach all producers in our IPM efforts regardless of scale, marketing channels, or production orientation, including large, small/part-time, organic, wholesale, and retail producers. Commercial growers constitute our prime audience, but we also serve backyard gardeners, homestead farmers, as well as municipal recreation and school programs.Our 2024-27 IPM Implementation plan outlines the top educational objectives we have identified, based on input from grower associations, priorities identified by expert panels & working groups in the region, as well as our one-on-one interactions with our clients. Our project objectives are ultimately guided by principles outlined in the national IPM Road Map. We will bring our clients the latest in IPM tools & tactics, while developing the next generation of IPM scientists, to:Increase IPM adoption by clientsImprove IPM practices by working with clients to better integrate into NH systemsImprove economical practices through IPM adoptionMinimize human health & safety risks from pests and pest management strategiesMinimize adverse environmental effects from pests and pest management strategiesThe past three years have been a time of great transition within our organization. The majority of our long-standing IPM team members have retired, taking decades of institutional knowledge with them. Much of the UNH Cooperative Extension Food and Agriculture Team consists of new members stepping into IPM education roles and bringing new perspectives and experiences to our state IPM program. These new members will benefit greatly from professional development opportunities, such as attending professional conferences and regional working groups. We also aim to incorporate extension objectives into undergraduate and graduate training, to support their professional development as well as to strengthen relationships between our Extension specialists and UNH's College of Life Sciences and Agriculture.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2161129116010%
2161119116010%
2161499116010%
2161129113010%
2161119113010%
2161499113010%
2161699114010%
2161599116010%
7210599113010%
2160430107010%
Knowledge Area
216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems; 721 - Insects and Other Pests Affecting Humans;

Subject Of Investigation
1119 - Deciduous tree fruits, general/other; 1499 - Vegetables, general/other; 1129 - Berries and cane fruits, general/other; 1699 - Pasture and forage crops, general/other; 0599 - Recreational resources, general/other; 0430 - Climate; 1599 - Grain crops, general/other;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology; 1160 - Pathology; 1070 - Ecology; 1140 - Weed science;
Goals / Objectives
Our 2024-27 IPM Implementation plan outlines the top educational objectives we have identified, based on input from grower associations, priorities identified by expert panels & working groups in the region, as well as our one-on-one interactions with our clients. Our project objectives are ultimately guided by principles outlined in the national IPM Road Map. We will bring our clients the latest in IPM tools & tactics, while developing the next generation of IPM scientists, to:Increase IPM adoption by clientsImprove IPM practices by working with clients to better integrate into NH systemsImprove economical practices through IPM adoptionMinimize human health & safety risks from pests and pest management strategiesMinimize adverse environmental effects from pests and pest management strategiesWe have chosen projects in the following Program Area Priorities (numbers in parentheses are percent of effort in each area) for this proposal that we deem strongest in terms of high priority to stakeholders, as well as our IPM team's ability to accomplish the work:IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops (5%)Weed IPM for field crops and managed forageDisease IPM for small grainsIPM Implementation in Communities (5%)Provide IPM education to the publicPesticide safety continuing educationWild pollinator conservationIPM Implementation in Public Health (5%)Provide information and education on ticks and tickborne illnessesIPM Implementation in Specialty Crops (70%)Develop IPM tools to respond to a changing climateEncourage the use of NEWA weather modeling for managing tree fruit pestsProvide information on best practices for emerging insect pests of specialty cropsEncourage adoption of pesticide resistance management practices for key pests of sweet cornImprove IPM adoption for protected agricultureIPM support for Diagnostic Services (5%)Administration Coordination (10%)IPM Implementation in Agronomic Crops (5%)Weed IPM for field crops and managed forage. One of our main goals is to promote and support IPM practices for weed control. Our milestones will include knowledge gains, such as number of meeting attendees who learn how to identify invasive weed species, and behavior changes, such as number of landowners who regularly practice cultural/mechanical practices for clearing their lands of weeds, those who have adopted cultural practices to help manage weeds like crop rotation and tillage, and those that have adopted scouting before making chemical applications.Disease IPM for small grains. Our objective is to increase adoption of integrated disease management including establishing scouting guidelines, training on disease identification, and developing a network among the small grains producers so they can inform each other of disease problems as they arise. Our milestones will include knowledge gains, such as number of meeting attendees who learn how to identify common plant pathogens affecting small grains, and behavior changes, such as number of landowners who regularly practice disease monitoring in their fields. .IPM Implementation in Communities (5%)Provide IPM education to the public. Pesticide safety continuing education. Our milestones will include knowledge gains, such as the number of pesticide applicators that gained knowledge on IPM and management of vector species for insect-transmitted diseases.Wild pollinator conservation.IPM Implementation in Public Health (5%)Provide information and education on ticks and tickborne illnesses.Our main objective is to raise awareness for NH residents, regarding ways to protect from tick-borne illnesses, by providing education and information around tick identification, biology, and management.Our short-term priorities include working with the UNH Wet Lab to get tick diagnostic testing procedures established and available for anyone who needs tick diagnostics, which will result in a direct partnership with state agencies working on public health. We will also be conducting a needs assessment for tick education to the public since UNH CE has not been actively participating in this sector since 2017, besides training pesticide applicators. Our long-term goal is to raise awareness and recognition of blacklegged ticks, increase adoption of protective behaviors, and reduce the incidence of tickborne illnesses in New Hampshire.IPM Implementation in Speciality Crops (70%)Develop IPM tools to respond to a shifting climate.Our objective is to continue working to adjust IPM programs to fit the changing climate and work with our farmers on how best to prepare and manage both pest insects and diseases. Our milestones will include knowledge gains, such as the number of producers that learn about alternative management strategies to mitigate extreme weather events and the corresponding pest issues. Behavior changes will be measured through evaluation surveys where we ask producers what changes they made to their farm due to climate risk during the growing season.Encourage the use of NEWA weather modeling for managing tree fruit pests.Our objective is to incorporate "how to" demonstrations using NEWA models in our regular programming to encourage properly timed application of crop protection materials for key pests. Our milestones will include knowledge gains, such as number of producers that learn how to use NEWA at workshops and webinars, and the number of producers that add a NEWA station to their farm, as well as behavior changes, such as the number of people who access the online NEWA networks and download data from local weather stations.Provide information on best practices for emerging insect pests of specialty crops.Ourobjectives are to ensure that growers are aware of their risk of crop loss due to emerging insect pests and to encourage the use of monitoring and "IPM-friendly chemistries" for their pest management plans.Our milestones will include knowledge gains, such as number of specialty crop growers that learn about basic biology and best practices at workshops and webinars, as well as behavior changes, such as the number of our growers who monitor for emerging pests.Encourage adoption of pesticide resistance management practices for key pests of sweet corn. Our overall sweet corn objectives are to incorporate monitoring, action thresholds, and information about novel sweet corn pest insecticides into our existing vegetable IPM programs.Our milestones will include knowledge gains, such as number of producers that learn about insecticide resistance management tools and techniques in our workshops, webinars, and fact sheets, as well as behavior changes, such as the number of people who adopt the use of diamides in their sweet corn spray rotations (according to our annual sweet corn surveys).Improve IPM adoption for protected agriculture. Our objective is to increase education around IPM and biological control in protected agriculture, including both greenhouses and high tunnels, with the most up-to-date information for current and emerging pest control.Our milestones will include knowledge gains, such as the number of producers that learn about biocontrol and IPM tools and techniques in our workshops, webinars, and regional conferences. We will also measure behavior changes, such as the number of people who adopt the use ofbiological control agents to control pests in the greenhouse, and high tunnel producers adopting IPM and improved crop quality.IPM Support for Diganostic Services (5%)The rapid detection and accurate identification of pathogens and arthropods is critical to preventing serious economic and ecological losses to any NH crops. Our objective is to increase the use of technology to rapidly identify plant and arthropod problems and to increase dissemination of information on identification and management to stakeholders.
Project Methods
Administration Coordination Plan. Members of the IPM Team will meet with the IPM Coordinator regularly throughout the year as part of the IPM Work Team. An annual winter meeting identifies needs within each team members' stakeholder area, potential educational goals, and potential measurable milestones. In additional to the annual planning meeting, the IPM Work Team will work with members and other UNH Cooperative Extension's (UNH CE) Food and Agriculture colleagues regularly throughout the year to collect pertinent milestone data and provide web-based support to expand the reach of their learning objectives to New Hampshire producers.Stakeholder Input. We have identified all proposed objectives based on input from appropriate stakeholder associations, priorities identified by expert panels and working groups in the region, as well as our one-on-one interactions with our clients. The specific associations and working groups for each of our program priorities are identified within each priority section of this project narrative.Program Evaluation. In addition to recording the number of workshop and meeting attendees, webinar viewers, and website "views" or "clicks", we have indicated specific milestones in our Logic Model. In some cases, these milestones will require an annual survey of stakeholders, which we will distribute via appropriate newsletters, listservs, and with the help of relevant stakeholder associations.Data Management Plan for University of New Hampshire 2024-2027 Integrated Pest Management Extension Implementation Plan This project is not a research project, but primarily an outreach education program that will produce a wide variety of outputs.Communication. Team members will coordinate activities and communicate with clients using software/communication platforms maintained by UNH IT, including but not limited to Microsoft Office/Teams/Outlook, Zoom, Qualtrics, Salesforce, Destiny One, and PEARS.Security & Storage. UNH CE uses Microsoft System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection or Windows Defender Security Center software, which is installed on each computer and is set to automatically update the virus definitions. All CE equipment is configured to automatically save files from your Desktop, My Documents folder, Pictures Folder, and Videos folder through OneDrive.Website resources. Factsheets, blogs, and regularly updated monitoring data are available to the public on UNH Extension's website (extension.unh.edu). Online resources are built and managed using Drupal and all resources are stored as PDFs in our Online Resource Repository maintained by the UNH Library. All monitoring data collected by this project is archived.Audio/Visual Content. Backups of all audio & video content are stored in Teams and/or SharePoint.

Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:Our primary target audiences are commercial farmers, both conventional and organic, and greenhouse and nursery operations. We also reach consultants, agricultural businesses, and staff of various state, county and federal agencies. Some of the Community IPM and Diagnostic IPM work is targeted at backyard gardeners, homesteaders and the general public. The Public Health IPM work is targeted to anyone living in or visiting New Hampshire. Changes/Problems:The Program Manager for the Plant Diagnostic Lab position is no longer needed to do the decrease in plant sample submissions and ability of UNH Extension field specialists to provide integrated disease management outreach to stakeholders. Dr. Liza DeGenring joined UNH Extension as the Hillsboro County Fruit & Vegetable Field Specialist in September 2024 and will be contributing to programing in IPM for Specialty Crops. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two team members attended the Entomological Society of America's Annual meeting in Fall 2024 and one team member attended the Eastern Branch meeting in Spring 2025. Our State IPM Coordinator attended the International IPM Symposium in Spring 2025, and presented a poster on the outcomes and impacts of the previous EIP grant cycle for New Hampshire. Four of our team members attended the Northeast Tree Fruit IPM Working Group annual meeting in Fall 2024, which is a collaborative group that has been meeting for over fifty years to discuss tree fruit IPM. One team member will be attending the Sweet Corn IPM Working Group Meeting in Summer 2025 to connect with other Extension personnel on the east coast and discuss sweet corn IPM strategies and collaborations. Our annual pruning demonstrations provide professional development opportunities for homeowners with backyard fruit trees, our own staff, and commercial producers. By hiring IPM Scouts to conduct insect monitoring, and students to assist with diagnostic services, we are contributing to training the next generation of IPM professionals and agricultural service providers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Web Resources: Gibbera Twig Blight blog: https://extension.unh.edu/resource/gibbera-twig-blight Planting for Pollinators blog: https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2025/05/planting-pollinators-memorial-day-weekend High Tunnel Production Toolkit (collaboration with University of Vermont and University of Maine): https://www.uvm.edu/~htunnel/ Hemp Pests in New Hampshire fact sheet: https://extension.unh.edu/resource/hemp-pests-new-hampshire Caterpillar Pests of Brassicas fact sheet: In publication (expected July 2025) Bitter rot fact sheet: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://extension.unh.edu/sites/default/files/media/2025-04/bitter-rot-fact-sheet.pdf Frogeye leaf spot and black rot on apple fact sheet: https://extension.unh.edu/resource/frogeye-leaf-spot-black-rot-apple-0#:~:text=Frogeye%20leaf%20spot%20affects%20leaves,commercial%20orchards%20and%20backyard%20trees UNH Website provides links to IPM content (https://extension.unh.edu/agriculture-gardens/pest-disease-growing-tools/integrated-pest-management-ipm) UNH Extension You Tube channel features past webinars and other content (e.g. Submitting Samples to UNH Plant Diagnostic lab: https://youtu.be/9GCS62Qz3nE) Vegetable IPM Reports provide weekly updates on insect pest monitoring data from the region, additional pest management information, upcoming events and opportunities for clientele (https://extension.unh.edu/resource/vegetable-ipm-reports). (111 active users in 2024, 19 reports). Fruit IPM Reports provide weekly or biweekly updates on growing conditions, insect and pest issues, monitoring data, degree day accumulations, and other tree fruit and small fruit information of note (https://extension.unh.edu/resource/fruit-ipm-reports). (476 active users in 2024, 13 reports; 7 reports through 6/3/25). New England Vegetable Management Guide: https://nevegetable.org/. Our team contributes new content and edits each new edition of this guide for accuracy. The 2025-2026 edition was released Winter 2024-25 and is a collaborative effort between New England states. Texting service: Our team launched a text subscription service for growers during the 2024 season. Vegetable IPM Report and Fruit IPM Report links are texted to subscribers weekly during the season, along with any pest or disease alerts (ex: Curcurbit Downy Mildew) and event reminders. Subscribers have increased 47% since 9/1/2024 and we currently have 114 people participating. Educational Events: Grower meetings and associated IPM-related presentations by UNH Extension: Cut Flower Grower Conference, 11/4/2024 Corn and Forage Grower Meeting, 11/21/2024 UNH Corn Trial Results -- Carl Majewski, UNH Extension and Peter Davis, Manager, UNH Farm Services New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference (collaborative effort between University of New Hampshire, University of Vermont, University of Maine, University of Massachusetts, and University of Connecticut), 12/17-12/19/2024: https://newenglandvfc.org/ UNH Extension staff were involved in organizing and planning the conference and facilitating Farmer to Farmer sessions IPM for Arthropod Pests of Solanaceous Crops - Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension New Hampshire Spotted Wing Drosophila on Farm Exclusion Netting Demonstration Project - Jeremy Delisle, UNH Extension; Andre Cantelmo, Heron Pond Farm, South Hampton, NH; Keith Brodeur, Bascom Rd Blueberry Farm, New port, NH; Chip Donnelly, Stark Farm, Dunbarton, NH New England Vegetable and Berry Growers Association Meeting, 2/22/2025 Pest Trends and Patterns from the UNH Trapping Network - Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension New Hampshire Vegetable and Berry Growers Association Annual Meeting, 3/5/2025 New Hampshire Fruit Growers Association Annual Meeting, 3/12/2025 Bitter rot, Marssonina, and Botryosphaeria, Oh my! IPM options for each -- Liza DeGenring, UNH Extension NEWA impact survey results for NH fruit growers -- Jeremy DeLisle, UNH Extension NEWA model interpretation for insect pests and resulting actions - Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension Vegetable IPM 2025 Season Kickoff Meeting, 4/9/2025 Sweet Corn IPM Monitoring Program Overview - Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension Sweet Corn Pest Identification and Management - Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension Vegetable and Berry IPM Monitoring Program Overview - Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension Vegetable Disease Identification and Management - Liza DeGenring, UNH Extension Vegetable Pest Identification and Management - Amber Vinchesi-Vahl, UNH Extension New Hampshire Winery Association Education Seminar, 4/18/2025 Fungal Foes in the Vineyard: A Growers Guide to Staying Ahead - Liza DeGenring, UNH Extension Twilight Meetings and Workshops: Landscape Association Field Day, 9/18/2024 Climate Resilience Workshops: Farm Ponds and Water Sources: drought resistance, farm ponds, wells, and irrigation, 10/18/2024; Soil Heath Practices: the science of soil health, mulching, reduced tillage, and working in small areas, 10/23/2024 Tristate Greenhouse IPM Workshop (collaboration between University of New Hampshire Extension, University of Vermont, and University of Maine), 1/23/2025 and 1/30/2025 Keep it Clean! Sanitation, the first step for IPM -- Tyler Edwards, UNH Plant Diagnostic Lab Pruning Workshops, 3/1-4/18/2025 (https://extension.unh.edu/resource/pruning-trees-shrubs) Grain Production Farmer to Farmer Discussion, 3/18/2025 Apple IPM and Grafting Workshop, 3/28/2025 Double Cropping Field Meeting, 4/29/2025 Tree Fruit Twilight Meeting, 5/21/2025 Berry Twilight Meeting, 5/28/2025 Webinars Tick-Proofing Your Backyard, New Hampshire Environmental Health Conference, 10/17/2024 2024 Greenhouse Webinar Series (https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2024/01/2024-webinar-series-greenhouse-nursery-garden-center-professionals) Includes injecting a drench and mealybug IPM Weed Management in No-Till and Cover Crops Webinar, 4/2/2025 Nature in Your Backyard Webinar: Buzz & Balance, Rewilding Your Backyard to Support Pollinators While Minimizing Tick Encounters, 4/16/2025 2025 Greenhouse Webinar Series (https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2025/01/2025-webinar-series-greenhouse-nursery-garden-center-professionals) Includes western flower thrips, diagnosing plant problems, other thrips in the greenhouse, bacterial leaf spots, and ultra-low volume sprayers What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Professional development. Two team members will attend the Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting in Fall 2025. Shyloh Favreau will present pollinator diversity and conservation in apple orchards in New Hampshire and Amber Vinchesi-Vahl will present on 20 years of sweet corn IPM monitoring in New Hampshire. Two or three team members will attend the annual Northeast Tree Fruit IPM Working Group Meeting in Fall 2025 to collaborate with and learn from other regional Extension personnel working in tree fruit IPM. IPM in Agronomic Crops. We will continue providing outreach and education around integrated weed management including cultural management (cover cropping, crop rotation, tillage) and herbicide resistance management for field and forage crops. Our on-farm meetings are held at various locations around the state where farmers and extension specialists meet to scout crops for pests and represent a terrific opportunity for discussing weed identification and how to implement IPM for hard-to-manage weed species. Multiple corn evaluation field meetings are scheduled for the 2025 season where discussion and topics are led by the grower participants. The Annual Corn and Forage Grower Meeting will be held in November 2025. We will continue developing farmer networks and idea sharing for small grains producers in New Hampshire and continue working to increase knowledge and adoption of disease IPM. A winter webinar on integrated disease management of small grains will be developed ahead of Spring 2026 and include training on scouting and identification of common small grains plant pathogens. IPM in Communities. We will continue to provide support to our Education Center employees, volunteers and to the Master Gardener Program since they are the main link to providing IPM education to the public and the community. We will continue to develop and deliver science-based content and modify relevant topics to a gardener and homesteader audience. We will continue to provide pesticide safety training for recertification of pesticide applicators and initial training for new applicators, with IPM included as an educational topic. We will publish a fact sheet on native and solitary tree fruit pollinators and conservation practices to promote and protect pollinators in New Hampshire orchards. Integrated pest and pollinator management will be the main focus of this fact sheet. We will continue to provide outreach and education on pollinator conservation and training to partner agencies, like Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), on bee identification. IPM in Public Health. We will use the results of our needs assessment for tick and tickborne disease education priorities to inform our programming. We will continue marketing the tick testing service at University of New Hampshire and collect information on tick species and distribution in New Hampshire. IPM in Specialty Crops. We will continue to organize and participate in outreach events in support of our objectives. These include one-on-one consultations, twilight and field meetings, grower meetings and conferences, IPM Reports, fact sheets, blogs, webinars and workshops. We will continue to provide outreach and education on: Mitigating extreme weather events on farms and how to adapt existing IPM programs to respond to increased extreme weather events and changing pest pressures How to interpret and act upon NEWA pest models vis in-person meetings, online tutorials, and workshops Monitoring for pests to better inform management decisions and implement IPM programs Insecticide resistance management practices, especially for sweet corn IPM for protected agriculture (greenhouses, nurseries, high tunnels) Biocontrol Workshop scheduled for October 2025, the 2025 Greenhouse and Nursery Webinar Series, and a Tristate High Tunnel Conference planned for December 2025. We will continue to increase adoption of weather stations on farms throughout New Hampshire by encouraging the use of NEWA weather modeling for managing pests and use the results of our 2024 NEWA Usage Impact survey to inform future programming. We plan to develop commodity-specific webinars and workshops for pest identification, biology and management in specialty crops. We will continue to administer IPM Monitoring networks for invasive, tree fruit, small fruit and vegetable insect pests. We plan to evaluate sweet corn growers at the end of the 2025 season on pesticide use and rotating insecticide modes of action to manage for insecticide resistance development. We will continue providing support for the UNH Plant Diagnostic Lab and the Arthropod Identification service. IPM Support for Diagnostic Services. The UNH Plant Diagnostic Laboratory (UNH-PDL) will continue to take samples, and work with New Hampshire's stakeholders by attending outreach education events and presenting on disease issues and IPM where needed. Molecular testing and water and soil pathogen testing will also be offered. We also plan to align the activities of PDL staff with providing educational and IPM support to the next generation of scientists through student lab help and blog/disease alerts and updates.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? IPM in Agronomic Crops. Our team hosted and attended the Annual Corn and Forage Grower Meeting in Fall 2024, the Grain Production Farmer to Farmer Discussion, a Weed Management in No-Till and Cover Crops Webinar, and a Double Cropping Field Meeting in Spring 2025. Corn, forage, and grain producers were in attendance and learned about weed and pest management in tillage and no-till field crop systems. Cultural control practices for weeds were discussed along with other issues facing field crop producers in New Hampshire. Multiple farm visits and one-on-one consultations were conducted, and a small grain farmer-to-farmer network is being developed. Corn and grain field meetings are currently being scheduled for the 2025 season. IPM for Communities. Our Education Center answers questions via phone/email and has adopted an online ticketing system to streamline requests from volunteers to Master Gardeners and Extension specialists for expert advice. Two program managers in our Education Center have continued adapting information for commercial farmers to a home gardener and homesteader audience. Our Pesticide Safety Education Program continues to provide initial and recertification trainings to pesticide license holders and all trainings include education in IPM practices. We have published a blog on Planting for Pollinators and a Forest Pollinator fact sheet will be released Summer 2025. A member of our IPM Team is also serving as co-chair for the pollinator garden certification program in New Hampshire and Maine. IPM in Public Health. Our team is currently conducting a needs assessment for tick education to the public. We launched the UNH Tick Testing Service in Spring 2025 as a collaborative effort between UNH Extension and UNH campus. New Hampshire businesses and residents can submit ticks for testing within New Hampshire, when they previously had to submit to other states for diagnostic testing. Our team has also presented at conferences and to the public through webinars and in-person events on protecting yourself and your backyard from ticks and how to conserve pollinators while managing ticks on your land. Outreach events on tick education will continue throughout Summer 2025. IPM in Specialty Crops. We have organized and participated in several outreach events in support of our learning objectives (see list of events in dissemination section). These include climate resiliency workshops and how pest trends shift with weather events. We increased the adoption of weather stations by 12%, which improves use of Network for Environment and Weather Applications (NEWA) models to inform pest management decisions. We conducted a survey of growers that use weather stations and the NEWA network, which has helped to inform our programming moving forward based on grower needs. Our team continues to provide outreach and education on IPM of insect and disease pests in specialty crops at twilight meetings, grower meetings and conferences, workshops and webinars. We have also been focusing on insecticide resistance management with sweet corn growers. Our team is also working to improve IPM adoption for protected agriculture, both in greenhouse and nursery production and in high tunnel production. Members of our team are working with Maine and Vermont on developing a toolkit for high tunnel production and IPM. We continue to monitor leek moth and swede midge, two invasive insects in northern New Hampshire, and have expanded our tree fruit insect trapping network into northern New Hampshire as well. 2025 will be the 20th year of our vegetable insect monitoring program, funded by the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food. These trapping programs help us deliver important and relevant pest information to growers throughout New Hampshire via our IPM Reports. IPM Support for Diagnostic Services. We have increased the offerings at the Plant Diagnostic Lab to now include water and soil testing for plant pathogens. Our IPM team provides accurate and timely identification of plant pathogens to commercial farmers, homeowners, greenhouses/nurseries, and gardeners. Though the Arthropod Identification service does not receive many samples, they are usually public health or structural pests, and timely identification provides peace of mind to the individuals submitting the samples.

Publications