Courtesy of the California Association of Pest Control Advisors
CAPCA is thrilled to announce a one-million-dollar grant awarded by the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) focusing on Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) in the field. The official title of the grant is Assessing SPM Adoption, Decisions, and Resources in California Cropping Systems. The Pest Control Adviser (PCA) selection process will begin in January 2024.
The grant will focus on data collection surrounding the decision-making process of 200 PCAs and their use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and SPM in the field. This data will be utilized by CAPCA, CDFA, and the University of California Integrated Pest Management Department (UC IPM) to better inform continuing education. Data collection is anonymous and only details the crop, commodity, and county. This study will focus on a narrow but diverse set of crops, including grapes, lettuce, pistachios, and tomatoes.
Those PCAs chosen to participate in the grant study will utilize a special and private version of Telus Agronomy’s (formerly Agrian) Record Keeping Suite. The grant incentivizes PCAs through financial stipends for successful program completion, including a yearlong account upgrade through Telus Agronomy. Any resulting online continuing education will be given to participating PCAs.
“For many years, CAPCA has witnessed the decision-making process of our regulators and legislators in Sacramento centered around SPM,” said Ruthann Anderson, President & CEO of CAPCA. “This grant will allow the PCA industry to provide data-driven information surrounding the ongoing and long-standing practice of IPM and SPM in the field.”
CAPCA looks forward to working with the PCA and grower communities, CDFA, UC IPM, and the allied industry through this exciting opportunity.
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