Sustainable Insect Management Workshop

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Sustainable/Organic Insect Management for Vegetable Growers Workshop in Clinton, SC. Our first stop was Parson Produce, a certified organic farm located at Bush River Farm.


Here we were greeted by Daniel Parson, a young and gregarious farmer who has been farming for 12 years. Daniel is a great presenter and has a Master's degree from Clemson University. Some of you may know Daniel from his presentations at SSAWG.

Daniel discussed his farm and showed us his farming equipment, which he stated is a piece of his pest management strategy. In true organic fashion, his production is a whole-farm system and pest management starts with productive soils, adequate not abundant nutrition, cover crops and good weed management.

Next, we moved to the field where Dr. Powell Smith (Extension entomologist and vegetable specialist from Clemson University) showed us some insect collection tools. These include sweep and butterfly nets, aspirators (used for catching small insects by sucking them into a container) and fabric sheets.

Below you can see Daniel's cover crop mixture of sorghum-sudangrass and buckwheat.

A great place to find insects!

Check out this field of pure buckwheat! A quick summer cover crop and insect attractor.

Insects, especially those that are predators to some plant-eating insects love the small buckwheat flower and will visit often for a source of food.


Daniel allows his buckwheat to go to seed and therefore re-seed the field.


Here is a group of workshop participants learning about the insects they collected in the buckwheat.


Next, we moved on to look at the broccoli to see what kind of insects we could find in this crop.


Here we saw some bad insects, but also some natural predators. We also learned about 'banker plants'. 'Banker plants' are plants that have some kind of problem and attract crop destroying insects and the predators that feed on them. Daniel has chosen to leave his 'banker plants' in order to keep the good insects in the planting. His 'banker plants' had lots of aphids (typically a sign of excess nitrogen). In addition to the aphids, they contained aphid predators. Below is a lady beetle larva feeding on the aphids.


Syrphid fly larvae were also present and feeding on the aphids(below). These insects are known as "aphid killers".


We also found harlequin bugs, a yearly problem on brassica crops. Below are nymphs of the piercing/sucking pest.


Exploring the eggplant crop we noticed a lot of flea beetle damage. Management for flea beetles is difficult. Some have found that row covers are effective for crops that do not require pollination. The covers cannot have open spaces for the beetles to enter. This control method is not effective if the flea beetle larvae are present in your soil. If they are, you will be trapping them in and may have a big problem on your hands.

Below you can see some flea beetle damage (the shot holes). The insect pictured below is an adult two-lined spittlebug, which is a plant-feeding insect.


Another plant-feeding pest that we found on the eggplant was a some kind of leaf-footed bug (below).


Thrips damage was also noted on the eggplant crop. Thrips are usually found in the flower of crops. These insects have rasping mouthparts. Damage on eggplant appears as green to brown streaking on the fruit. Sorry, I don't have a picture.

After all of our fun in the field, we enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the owners of Bush River Farm and Bed and Breakfast.

After lunch the group headed to Presbyterian College to learn some more about insect pest management and to do some more insect identification. Dr. Powell Smith discussed the different characteristics of identifying insects and the major plant-feeding and beneficial insect groups. The group discussed management options and the importance of attracting beneficial insects, as well as learning about the life cycle of an insect pest.


Overall, managing insects in vegetable crops organically is similar to a conventional IPM approach. Like discussed above, healthy soils, adequate nutrition and weed management will go along way. IPM includes cultural control methods (including proper selection of vegetable varieties for your area, avoiding insects by changing planting date, eliminating insect overwintering areas, attracting beneficial insects, planting trap crops, etc), using mechanical or physical control methods (tillage to disturb life cycle, row covers, hand picking or vacuuming) and finally the use of organically approved insecticides. Keep in mind that many insecticides will also kill or disturb your beneficial insects, that is why it is your last line of defense.

To learn more about attracting beneficial insects and biological control, visit NCSU's Biological Control Information Center or the Biological Control Resources page on GrowingSmallFarms.org.

Overall, the day was successful. We learned a lot about identifying insects, management options and even got to take a few specimen home with us. Below you can see our insect collection.


I took a wheel bug (a predator in the assassin bug family), a leaf-footed bug and larva, a squash bug and a running ground beetle (a voracious eater in the Carabidae that will feed on cutworms) home with me!

To learn more about insect identification, insect collection and insect control visit the following links:

ATTRA's Links to Insect Management
Growing Small Farms Links to Insect Management Web Resources
Collecting and Preserving Insects and Arachnids

The 10% Campaign: Pledge to Buy Local

There are some pretty exciting things going on in NC in the world of local food.

Have you heard about the 10% Campaign? The 10% campaign was created by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and is a partnership between the NC Cooperative Extension Service and the Compass Group, the world's largest food service company.

The goal of the10% campaign is to challenge individuals, businesses and communities to pledge that they will spend 10% of their food dollars on locally grown and produced foods. We spend $35 billion dollars per year on food. If we pledge to spend 10% on local products, that would mean $3.5 billion dollars would be available to our local economy!


To learn more about the 10% Campaign, to see who has already pledged or to make a pledge yourself to "Make a choice. Make a difference. Make it Local", visit www.nc10percent.com.


Read about the NC State University Dining's comittment to buying local and joining the 10% Campaign. University Dining has pledged that 10% of the food served will be locally grown and produced by 2012.

Read about the NC State University's Campus Farmers Market in Raleigh.

Exciting event: Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project's Local Food Institute on October 13-14 in Asheville. This two-day program is designed to share information and strategies on ASAP’s innovative approach to creating environments where local food economies thrive.

To see more information including the conference agenda and speaker bios and to register go to http://www.asapconnections.org/localfoodinstitute.html.

Organic Vegetable Workshop in Waynesville August 31

Organic Vegetable Production Workshop at the NEW Mountain Organic Research and Extension Unit

When: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (Registration opens at 9:30 AM)

Where?: Mountain Research Station, 265 Test Farm Road in Waynesville, NC

Come visit the NEW Mountain Organic Research and Extension Unit and see our first year trials with peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli. Do you have questions about varieties suitable for the western mountain region, or organic weed and disease management? We will be showing off (and tasting!) heirloom and heirloom-type tomato varieties along with several varieties of grafted tomatoes. See which barrier and cover crop methods do the best job managing weeds in peppers and also the opportunities and challenges of growing fall broccoli. At the end, enjoy a light lunch including a tomato testing, attend a trade show, and provide your input for the future plans of the Mountain Organic Research and Extension Unit. Also, help us come up with a good name for it!

This workshop is free and open to the public.

This project is led by Dr. Jeanine Davis in the Department of Horticultural Science and funded by a USDA Specialty Crops Block grant administered through the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

Sponsorship for lunch was provided by Brandt Consolidated, 5th Season Gardening Co., Reems Creek Nursery, Inc., the Waynesville Farmers CO-OP, and others.

For more information, contact Emily Bernstein, phone: 828-684-3562,
email: Emily_bernstein@ncsu.edu, or look online at:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/events/specialtyhort-events-calendar.html.

Directions to the Mountain Research Station can be found online at http://www.agr.state.nc.us/research/MountainResearchStationWaynesville.htm.

Insect Pests Plaguing Vegetable Growers

This article is from the latest edition of NC Pest News from Entomology Extension Specialist, Dr. Mark Abney.

"A variety of insects are currently plaguing vegetable growers across North Carolina. Armyworms and corn earworms have been abundant and moth flights are continuing. European corn borers have been abundant in many of our research trials this year after several years of low numbers. Heavy European corn borer infestations occurred in sweet corn at the Central Crops Research Station in Clayton and large numbers were seen in bell pepper trials near Kinston and in the mountains near Fletcher.

Melon growers have not been immune to insect problems, and there have been a couple cases recently of corn rootworm larvae feeding on the undersides of cantaloupes. We do not see this on a regular basis, but it seems to happen somewhere every year. Larvae feed on the undersides of fruit, usually after a heavy rain, and there is no technology currently available to effectively control the problem.

As we approach late August, home gardeners and commercial growers alike will be faced with managing pickleworms in cucumber and squash. Commercial growers are forced to rely on preventative insecticide applications as tolerance for pickleworms in harvested produce is essentially zero. Home gardeners are faced with an uphill battle against this pest as management options available are not likely to provide good control. The best advice for gardeners is usually to plant early and harvest before pickleworms arrive from the south each year.

Another perennial foe of the cucurbit grower, the squash bug, is making its presence known in backyard gardens, commercial organic production, and in research trials. Large populations recently moved into research plantings of squash and cucumber at the Horticultural Crops Research Station near Clinton. It only takes a couple squash bugs to kill a young squash plant, so scouting and timely management are critical. These bugs can be difficult to kill, and the adult stage is particularly tough to control. Targeting the nymphs is important.

Scouting vegetables is absolutely essential to prevent losses due to insects and to maximize the effectiveness of insecticide applications. For control recommendations in specific crops, please refer to the North Carolina Agricultural Chemicals Manual (http://ipm.ncsu.edu/agchem/5-toc.pdf)."

2nd Annual WNC Hops Farm Tour Saturday!

The 2nd Annual WNC Hops Tour is this Saturday, July 31st!

We had such a fun time last year, we decided to do it again!

This year we will visit Winding River Hops in Clyde, NC in Haywood County. You may remember this farm from when I did some hops stringing this spring. After Winding River Hops we will travel to Black Mountain to visit Hop'n Blueberry Farm. Both of these growers are WNC AgOptions grant recipients.

There is a lot to see this year, the hops yards look great and some of your favorite local breweries are making beer from the local hops!

After the tour at Hop'n Blueberry Farm, we will travel to French Broad Brewing Company for a special tour and tasting.

Here are the details:

When?: Saturday, July 31. Registration starts at 8 am. Tour begins at 9 am.

Where?: Winding River Hops Farm, 3949 Thickety Rd in Clyde, NC. Parking at Oak Grove Baptist Church. Signs will be posted. Download the tour flyer for complete directions.

How much?: $10 per carload. CASH ONLY.

Who should attend?: Folks interested in growing hops, commercial and home brewers and beer and hops enthusiasts.

What else?: Specialists from NC State University and NCDA & CS including Dr. Jeanine Davis, Dr. Hannah Burrack, Mr. Rob Austin and Mr. Bill Yarborough will be on hand to discuss current hops projects and research. Chris Reedy and other grower members of the Southern Appalachain Hops Guild will also be at the tour discussing this year's crop and the work they are doing.

For more details download the tour flyer.

I hope to see you there!

Late Blight Confirmed on Tomatoes In Henderson County

Late blight has been positively identified in Henderson County on tomatoes. With the afternoon showers and reports from other parts of the eastern U.S. it was only a matter of time.
Growers are encouraged to scout their fields and begin with control measures.

Sorry I don't have a lot of time to put details in this afternoon, but review my post from last year for some basic information.

Recommendations for conventional producers are chlorothalonil as a preventative if late blight is not found in your field or nearby. If late blight has been identified in your field applications of cyazofamid (Ranman at 2.1-2.75 fl oz/acre), fluopicolide (Presidio at 3-4 fl oz/acre) or mandipropamid + difenoconazole (Revus Top at 5.5-7 fl oz/acre) are recommended. Always read and follow the label when using pesticides! The label is the law.

For organic recommendations, see this article from Alex Stone on eXtension.

More to be reported later. Sorry again for the short note.

UPDATE 1 PM:
This just in from NCSU Plant Pathologist Dr. Kelly Ivors:

"Hey Everybody-

This morning we found and confirmed late blight (by microscopic examination) in one small shaded area of a conventional tomato field in Henderson County. We have not been able to confirm its presence anywhere else in the tomato production areas of NC this summer, so I believe this is the start of the tomato late blight epidemic in WNC. We've had some rains recently and I'm sure it's out there elsewhere now, or soon to arrive.

Fungicide recommendations for controlling late blight on fresh market tomatoes start at week 9 in the NC tomato foliar fungicide guide.

It can be found at this link.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/plantpath/tomato-spray-guide/tomato-spray-guide.pdf

In addition, there is information (fact sheet) on this disease in North Carolina, including pictures of the symptoms at this link.

Check out the different diseases and select the one under Tomato Late Blight.

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantpath/extension/fact_sheets/index.htm

Please make sure to get your preventative sprays on as soon as possible if you grow tomatoes in late blight prone areas. Chlorothalonil works well as a protectant if you do not yet have the pathogen in your field. If already established in your tomato field, it would be best to apply something more than a protectant like Presidio (+ chlorothalonil) or Ranman.

If you need a confirmation of late blight in your fields, please do not hesitate to call your agent or my lab to submit a sample.

Thanks

Kelly"

WNC Strawberry Pre-Plant Meeting, July 28

It's hard to believe its already time to start planning for the 2011 strawberry season!

Planting will start in a few short weeks so come and get some great tips and information on strawberry production at the WNC Strawberry Pre-Plant Meeting. Details below.

What?: WNC Strawberry Pre-Plant Meeting When?: Wednesday July 28, 6:30 pm

Where?: Mountain Horticulture Research and Extension Center, 455 Research Dr. in Mills River, NC

Who should attend?: All strawberry producers who are looking for the most up-to-date information on strawberry production in WNC and the entire region.

Agenda:

1. Day neutral varieites and high tunnel production for WNC - Dr. Barclay Poling, NCSU Dept. of Horticultural Science. Work is sponsored by the Tobacco Trust Fund.
2. Integrated Pest Management for Strawberries - Dr. Hannah Burrack, NCSU Dept. of Entomology.
3. Disease Management and Fumigation Changes - Mr. Rob Welker, NCSU Dept. of Plant Pathology

1.5 Pesticide Credits are available in the categories of N, O, D and X