www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm principles-of-ecologically-based-pest-management beetle-banks-boost-beneficials Beetle Banks Boost Beneficials Beetle Banks Boost Beneficials Some grass species can be important for natural enemies. For example, they can provide temperature-moderating overwintering habitats for predaceous ground beetles. In England, researchers established “beetle banks” by sowing earth ridges with orchard grass at the centers of cereal fields. Recreating the qualities of field boundaries that favor high densities of […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm principles-of-ecologically-based-pest-management sidebar-reduce-mowing-frequency-to-attract-beneficials Sidebar: Reduce Mowing Frequency to Attract Beneficials Reduce Mowing Frequency to Increase Beneficials Tree fruit growers seeking alternatives to broad-spectrum pesticides are looking to manage insect pests using a more environmentally friendly approach. In Washington state pear orchards, SARE-funded research has found that mowing once a month rather than two or three times a month creates alluring habitats for beneficial insects. An […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm principles-of-ecologically-based-pest-management farm-feature-a-toast-to-ecological-grape-production Farm Feature: A Toast to Ecological Grape Production Farm Feature: A Toast to Ecological Grape Production Few wine drinkers are in the market for Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of asparagus or green pepper — herbaceous or “green” characters prompted by overly vigorous vines. Fewer still want utterly tasteless wines that have been drained of their flavors by spider mites. In the vineyards of […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm principles-of-ecologically-based-pest-management farm-feature-no-till-cover-crops-yield-soil-and-pest-benefits Farm Feature: No-Till Cover Crops Yield Soil and Pest Benefits Farm Feature No-Till Cover Crops Yield Soil and Pest Benefits With slopes as steep as 7 percent and winds that sandblast his seedlings, Mark Vickers decided to try no-till production and cover crops on his Coffee County, Ga., farm nine years ago. A fourth-generation cotton and peanut grower who also plants corn or soybeans when […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm principles-of-ecologically-based-pest-management innovative-tart-cherry-orchard-systems Innovative Tart Cherry Orchard Systems Innovative Tart Cherry Orchard Systems Michigan State University scientists have evaluated orchard-scale ground cover experiments in established commercial orchards and in a new tart cherry orchard at the Northwest Horticultural Research Station. They studied orchard floors covered with compost, mulch or cover crops such as crimson clover, berseem clover, white clover, white Dutch clover, Michigan […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm principles-of-ecologically-based-pest-management strategies-to-enhance-beneficials Strategies to Enhance Beneficials Strategies to Enhance Beneficials One of the most powerful and long-lasting ways to minimize economic damage from pests is to boost populations of existing or naturally occurring beneficial organisms by supplying them with appropriate habitat and alternative food sources. Beneficial organisms such as predators, parasites and pest-sickening “pathogens” are found far more frequently on diverse […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm principles-of-ecologically-based-pest-management managing-aboveground-habitat Managing Aboveground Habitat Managing Aboveground Habitat Diversify plants within agroecosystems. You can attract natural enemies and improve biological pest control by planting polycultures of annual crops — two or more crops simultaneously growing in close proximity. You can also let some flowering weeds reach tolerable levels or use cover crops such as buckwheat or sunflowers under orchards and […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm principles-of-ecologically-based-pest-management Principles of Ecologically Based Pest Management Principles of Ecologically Based Pest Management Introduction A whole farm approach calls for designing a system that integrates ecological pest management into other aspects of crop and soil management. Each decision you make in designing your system for managing pests should be based in part on the impacts on the rest of the system. Your […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm how-ecologically-based-pest-management-works farm-feature-diversity-in-every-field-and-pen-iowa Farm Feature: Diversity in Every Field and Pen (Iowa) Farm Feature: Diversity In Every Field And Pen It's been two decades since Ron and Maria Rosmann began transitioning their west central Iowa farm to organic. Their crops — soybeans, corn, alfalfa, turnips, grasses, oats, rye and other small grains — were certified organic in 1994. Their 90 stock cows and 650 broiler chickens followed […]
www.sare.org publications manage-insects-on-your-farm how-ecologically-based-pest-management-works year-round-blooming-cycle-attracts-beneficials Year-Round Blooming Cycle Attracts Beneficials Year-Round Blooming Cycle Attracts Beneficials In Oregon’s Willamette valley, Larry Thompson’s 100-acre fruit and vegetable farm blossoms with natural insectaries. “To keep an equilibrium of beneficials and pests and to survive without using insecticides, we have as much blooming around the farm as we can,” he says. Thompson uses cover crops to recruit ladybugs, lacewings […]