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| Pest management issues surrounding locally-grown produce, like these ripening apples at Klackle Orchards in Eureka Township, were the topics of Wednesday and Thursday's pest tour through Montcalm County and nearby Belding area. |
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7/23/2010 7:40:00 PM
Practicing proper pest management 101
Jessica Dudenhofer
Staff Writer
A cluster of agricultural leaders went on a grand tour of produce farms around Montcalm County and Belding Wednesday and Thursday as the annual Michigan Integrated Pest Management Alliance (IPM) featured pest management of local farmers.
Representatives from federal and state regulators, such as the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency, were the guests of honor to field stops at Wittenbach Apple Farm in Belding, Mathisen Tree Farms LLC in Greenvile, Sandyland Farms in Howard City and Klackle Orchards of Eureka Township over the two-day tour, learning more about issues dealing with control of crop-damaging pests.
The tour also visited an asparagus and carrot farm in Hart and Swanson Pickle Company in Ravenna.
Individual farmers explained their crop-specific pest issues, as representatives from Michigan State University (MSU) fielded any scientific questions from the federal visitors.
"Many of these representatives have never set foot on a farm," said Amy Irish-Brown, a pesticide specialist for MSU. "It's important for them to see what it's like in real life if they're going to making legislative decisions."
Denise Donahue, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee (MAC), accompanied the tour Wednesday, paying particular interest as the tour stopped at Wittenbach Apple Farm in Belding, the farm currently featured on the MAC website.
"When they're making decisions, we want them to remember how it functions here in Michigan," Donahue said.
Ben Kudwa, executive director of the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, DeWitt, and coordinator of the event, said the tour is beneficial for both the farmers and the regulators, helping them understand the difficulties each faces on a daily basis.
"The format allows a great deal of informal personal interactions," Kudwa said. "Growers and regulators can discuss issues face to face and share their viewpoints. We see a lot of value in bringing government officials into our fields to see how we're applying IPM techniques."
Kudwa explained that Michigan IPM, a coalition of commidity groups across the state, practices a methodology of pest control that minimizes pesticide applications while achieving high crop yields.
The IPM has hosted these tours for many years, but Montcalm County was the primary focus this time around.
"Many of our federal officials are not familiar wiith Michigan," Kudwa said. "We'll be showing them how broad and diverse our agriculture is."
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