Biodiversity and Pest Management Resources for Small Farms

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” (B Franklin, 1706-1790). Pest prevention is a central component of integrated pest management and organic pest management strategies. Crop rotation and crop planning (i.e. timing and spacing), good nutrient and water management, enhancing natural enemies and choosing disease or insect resistant varieties will enhance the resilience of your farm. When these methods are insufficient it is sometimes necessary to use natural or synthetic pesticides to manage pests well enough to produce high quality crops.

Biodiversity

Farmscaping for Beneficials

In April 2016 the Farmscaping for Beneficials Program released an Executive Summary of a collaborative project with farmers, industry consultants and agency, non-profit and extension personnel in SE Idaho, Washington's Columbia Basin and Oregon's Columbia Plateau. This project used farmers, commercial farms and local experts to teach the integration of conservation practices that can increase agricultural biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provisions in vegetable, row crop and orchard systems. This report contains agro-ecosystem specific examples of practices local farmer-leaders are adopting such as hedgerows, insectary cover crops and insectary field edges and the local resources that support them. Recommendations to increase the adoption of these practices on western farms are included.

Apr 2018 | Online resource

Biodiversity Conservation: An Organic Farmer’s Guide

The goal of this guide is to increase the use of organic farming practices and other land management techniques that conserve biodiversity and the natural resources of organic farming systems, and to help farmers and ranchers comply with the NOP Rule.

Apr 2018 | Online resource

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. We take our name from the now extinct Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces), the first butterfly known to go extinct in North America as a result of human activities.

Apr 2018 | Online resource

Pest Management - general

Pest and Crop Models

This website brings together US weather data and plant pest and disease models to serve many decision support needs in agriculture. Currently this site provides over 80 degree-day and 21 hourly weather-driven models serving many IPM, regulatory, plant biosecurity, biological control, and conservation uses for the full USA, with emphasis on IPM needs for the Western States.

Apr 2018 | Online resource

Photo Collections

2022 PNW Insect Management Handbook

Covers pesticide safety and toxicity, protecting bees, adjuvants, mixing tables, calibration and biological control. Other sections cover a wide variety of agricultural and nonagricultural products such as commercial vegetables, small ...

May 2022 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Insect Photos

This page is devoted to information for identifying and managing insect pests.

Apr 2018 | Online resource

Vegetable Insect Pest Photos

This site is dedicated to Integrated Pest Management for the home vegetable garden. IPM uses four key strategies to control pest damage while fostering environmental awareness and stewardship, such as plant genetic resistance to pests and disease, biological control (the use of one organism to control another), environmental and cultural (favorable for the plant, unfavorable for the pest), chemical - the last resort.

Apr 2018 | Online resource

Insect, Mite & Rodent Management

2022 PNW Insect Management Handbook

May 2022 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides

An overview of how a variety of wild and managed bees and their pollination activities are affected by pesticide application. Provides guidelines for how beekeepers, growers, and pesticide applicators can work together to prevent ...

Ramesh Sagili | Mar 2016 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Using Entomopathogenic Nematodes for Crop Insect Pest Control

Topics covered include the life cycle of entomopathogenic nematodes; how they control insect pests; obtaining, using, and storing; soil conditions necessary; application preparation, equipment, and rates; pesticide safety; and websites that provide more specific information.

May 2012 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Plant Disease Management

2022 PNW Plant Disease Management Handbook

A comprehensive guide to plant disease management in the Pacific Northwest. Includes materials and tactics suitable for organic production and homeowner use as well as for commercial production. Covers testing services, common ...

Jay Pscheidt, Cynthia Ocamb | May 2021 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Weed Management

2022 PNW Weed Management Handbook

This comprehensive guide to weed management in the Pacific Northwest covers biological weed control agents; pesticide safety and disposal; agrichemicals and their properties; and control of problem weeds. Sections include subjects such ...

Ed Peachey | Apr 2022 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Steel in the Field: A Farmer's Guide to Weed Management Tools

Weed control demands time, labor and expense for every farmer every year. Steel in the Field shows how today's implements and techniques can control weeds while reducing—or eliminating—herbicides. In practical language, Steel in the Field presents what farmers and researchers have learned in the last 20 years about cutting weed-control costs through improved cultivation tools, cover crops and new cropping rotations.

Apr 2018 | Online resource

April 2018

This piece is part of the collection Vegetable Crop Resources for Small Farms

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