By George Silva
The
21st annual Integrated Crop and Pest Management Update for Michigan Agribusiness took place Dec. 18, 2018, at the Michigan State University Pavilion. There were 268 participants from 36 counties representing Michigan’s seed, fertilizer and pesticide dealerships, spray service providers, crop consultants and farmers. Few participants from Ohio, Indiana and Ontario, Canada, also attended. The topics were focused on upcoming
MSU Extension recommendations for insect, disease, weed and fertilizer for 2019 field crops. Emerging challenges and new technologies to deal with insect, disease and weed resistance and nutrient management issues were addressed.
The timing of this event provided adequate time for companies to make year-end bulk purchasing and sales decisions. Participants received seven MDARD pesticide certification credits, 6.5 Certified Crop Advisor credits and MAEAP phase 1 credit for this session.
A post-event survey indicated 94 percent of participants increased their knowledge and awareness of MSU crop and pest management recommendations as a result of this program. Eighty-six percent said they would implement these recommendations in 2019. The repeat attendees from the previous year’s program revealed that MSU recommendations were implemented on 285,545 acres of cropland. The average gain in terms of increased revenues or added savings from implementing MSU recommendations was estimated to be $9.70 per acre.
The successful outcome of this event, as reflected by its growing attendance and the short- and long-term outcomes, could be attributed to the reliable research based recommendations
MSU Extension is able to generate and deliver every year. This is a testament to the quality of our Extension faculty and educators, and the excellent collaboration and recognition we receive from Michigan corn, soybean and wheat commodity groups, Michigan agribusiness community and the
Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP).