By Steven Bradbury, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, ISU

Integrated Pest Management

Executive Summary - Project Proposal to Support an Iowa Pesticide Resistance Management Plan

Given increased attention on the impacts of pesticide-resistant pests on agronomic practices and the changing national regulatory framework to address resistance management, Iowa State University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (ISU/CALS) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) facilitated a one-day meeting on January 30th, 2015 to discuss pesticide resistance management options in Iowa crop systems. The Iowa Soybean Association played a key leadership role in the planning and implementation of the meeting, consistent with the association’s proactive perspective to addressing this increasingly serious challenge to profitable production.

The January 2015 meeting included representatives from the Iowa community of farmers, agriculture support networks, and pesticide technology providers. Planning for the workshop included input from Iowa farm organizations, cooperatives, agricultural retailers, certified crop advisors, independent crop advisors, land management firms, and pesticide companies. The meeting summary report can be accessed at http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/about-the-iprmp.

The major recommendations from the meeting included:

• Developing a state-wide, voluntary, pesticide resistance management plan coordinated by the state and includes broad participation from all sectors of Iowa agriculture
• Establishing a unified, consistent message to increase awareness for action
• Engagement of meeting participants with their organizations in discussing the meeting outcomes.

The participants concluded that developing an Iowa pesticide resistance management plan was a high priority. It was suggested that development and implementation of a plan be facilitated by the state (perhaps in a manner similar to the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy) and bring together broad participation across the agriculture community. It was noted that development and implementation of such a plan would require strong leadership from Iowa’s farmer, commodity, agriculture retailer, crop advisor, crop consultant organizations, and pest management technology providers, in association with the state and Iowa State University. It was further noted that a plan, with clearly defined roles across all sectors in agriculture and flexibility for different parts of the state, could minimize the potential for regulatory intervention.

The meeting participants also discussed some initial perspectives on the tactical aspects of implementing a state resistance management strategy. For example, the need to include socioeconomic analyses to inform problem definition and potential solutions was deemed critical. Identifying funding options and establishing effective means to deliver information and tools were highlighted.

On June 19th, 2015, ISU and IDALS met with AgState to discuss the January 30th meeting recommendations. At the AgState meeting it was agreed that a taskforce be formed to prepare a conceptual framework for an Iowa Pesticide Resistance Management Plan and report back to AgState and leadership of related organizations in December 2015. Assuming agreement on the conceptual framework, with any recommended modifications, the Iowa pesticide resistance management plan would then be developed during 2016.

The taskforce was formed in September 2015 with representatives from the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Agricultural Biotechnology Stewardship Technical Committee, Iowa Corn, Iowa Chapter of the Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Institute for Cooperatives, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Independent Crop Consultants Association, Pesticide Resistance Action Committees, and Practical Farmers of Iowa. The taskforce efforts are facilitated by IDALS and ISU/CALS, with ISU responsible for managing the effort.

Resistance Management Taskforce Approach

The taskforce met by teleconference on September 11, 2015 and will meet in person on October 26th. ISU created a virtual meeting room for the taskforce to prepare materials in preparation for the October 26th meeting. At the in-person meeting on the 26th the taskforce will draft the first version of the resistance management plan’s conceptual framework. The taskforce completed the draft framework document with virtual writing teams and teleconferences during November and presented the framework and recommended next steps to AgState at their December 19, 2015 meeting.

At the AgState meeting the taskforce was charged with preparing the draft iowa pest resistance management plan. This drafting effort was highly complex in both the substance of the topic as well as the management of the process, which involved numerous workshops, teleconferences, virtual meeting and in person writing sessions, smaller working group meetings and stakeholder meetings. The draft plan, which was approved at a December 12, 2016 AgState meeting, addressed resistance management approaches for insect pests, weeds and pathogens; include research, demonstration, and outreach components; and propose governance mechanisms within and across the public and private sectors.

Budget Request

Previous funding from the Iowa Soybean Research Center has supported a ½ time program coordinator to assist the lead ISU faculty member in facilitating the development of the Iowa Pesticide Resistance Management Plan. To develop the conceptual framework and the resistance management plan required a significant level of effort by ISU to coordinate the activities of numerous organizations and their members through workshops, webinars, small group meetings, and writing teams that were responsible for drafting and integrating the many components of the plan.

To assist the ISU team in facilitating the implementation of the plan on behalf of the many participating Iowa-based organizations, current funding by the ISRC continues to support the program coordinator. The coordinator continues to work closely with the lead ISU faculty member to achieve the objectives of this effort. More specifically the coordinator is helping to facilitate the state-wide roll-out of the plan in coordination with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the participating organizations, including the Iowa Soybean Association and supporting the initial phases of plan implementation, with an emphasis on initiating the pilot projects described in the IPRMP. Support through the ISRC is instrumental to guiding the development and ultimate delivery of the outcomes envisioned in the resistance management plan for Iowa in an efficient and effective manner.

Selected for funding 2015