Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
The Alabama Beginning Farmers Project is funded by grants from the USDA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program (Awards 2015-04598 & 2018-02936). The overall project implementation plan involves collaboration with a wide range of institutions, producer groups, and nonprofit organizations for supporting beginning farmers statewide. In collaboration with Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Crotovina, Farmscape Solutions, and The United Christian Community Association, the BFRD Program provides science-based information and consultation to beginning farmers, develops new educational resources, and sustains a statewide network of producers to strengthen the local food movement that is inclusive of low-resource farmers and military veterans.
Project objectives:
- Provide science-based information and consultation to beginning farmers.
- Support and collaborate with third-party educational programs.
- Develop new educational resources (e-curriculum, phone app, printed materials).
- Sustain a statewide network of producers to strengthen the local food movement that is inclusive of low resource farmers and military veterans.
More Information
For more information, visit alabamabeginningfarmer.com.
Program Coordinator: Ayanava Majumdar
Commercial Horticulture Regional Extension Agents, Extension Coordinators, and Specialists
Technical Assistance Providers: Jayme Oates, Karen Wynne, Lee McBride, Andrew Williams
Funding Agency : USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (Phase 1 & 2 Grants) www.nifa.usda.gov/programs
Project Training Events
The Beginning Farmer program offers special training events for all farmers. Look for information on Farmer 101 and 201 in the ACES calendar.
Monthly webinar presentations are available live at 9 A.M. Topics include greenhouse production, insect pest alerts and management, disease diagnosis and more. The calendar for these webinars is shown below. Click here to watch live on these dates.
2021 Commercial Horticulture Team Webinar Presentations
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| January 25 | Economics of greenhouse lettuce, update on chill accumulation in peach varieties, agricultural policy for specialty crops | Jeremy Pickens, Edgar Vinson, Adam Robinowitz |
| February 22 | Pruning tactics for blueberry production, vegetable grafting techniques, update on blueberry nutrition and production, Specialty crop outlook | Eric Schavey, Chip East, Elina Coneva, Wendiam Sawadgo |
| March 2 | Keys to successful tomato production | Joe Kemble |
| March 9 | Tomato/Pepper/Eggplant Insect Pest Management | Ayanava Majumdar |
| March 16 | Strawberry production webinar (Small Scale Market Production Series) | Neil Kelly |
| March 16 | Tomato disease management and fungicide mode of action | Ed Sikora |
| March 23 | Berry Production: Blueberries (Small Scale Market Production Series) | David Koon |
| March 23 | Cucurbit disease identification & management | Ed Sikora |
| March 29 | Direct Marketing Channels, how to rotate organic & chemical insecticides for summer crops, native azalea for Alabama landscape | Jessie Boswell, Ayanava Majumdar, Doug Chapman |
| April 6 | Cucurbit Insect Pest and Cowpea Curculio Management | Ayanava Majumdar and Neil Kelly |
| April 20 | Grape & Muscadine Updates | Elina Coneva |
| April 26 | Understanding soil phosphorus test, insect management considerations for sweet corn | Rishi Prasad, Katelyn Kesheimer |
| April 27 | Regional Fruit Production Webinar: Focus on Peach Research | Chip East, Edgar Vinson |
| May 4 | Regional Fruit Production Meetings - Weed Management | Steve Li |
| May 24 | Strawberry research update, seasonal insect monitoring and management updates, post emergent weed control in turf, Microbial quality of agricultural water | Edgar Vinson, Ayanava Majumdar, Dave Han, Camila Rodrigues |
| June 28 | Tips for co-managing wildlife and complying with FSMA, whitefly transmitted viruses of cucurbits – a new problem for Alabama growers, common ornamental diseases part II, Using soil moisture sensors to improve vegetable production | Kristin Woods, Ed Sikora, Amanda Sherer, Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva |
| July 26 | Vegetable insect pest updates, Blueberry cultivars assessment and production update | Ayanava Majumdar, Elina Coneva |
| August 30 | AU plant diagnostic lab updates, latest performance of selected strawberry varieties in central Alabama, budding techniques for citrus, Fall vegetable garden | Kassie Conner, Edgar Vinson, Jacob Kelley, Joe Kemble |
| September 27 | Fall vegetable IPM tips, high tunnel ventilation, fruit crops cultivar selection | Ayanava Majumdar, Jeremy Pickens, Elina Coneva |
| October 25 | The importance of crop rotation, peach orchard maintenance after harvest, cold hardiness in fruit crop | Eric Schavey, David Lawrence, Melba Salazar-Gutierrez, |
| November 29 | Beginning Farmer Resources, TBA | Ayanava Majumdar, Bethany O'Rear |
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