Practical Whole Farm Solutions for Pest Management Practitioners and Growers
Wednesday, January 22, 2025, 8-5 pm
Asilomar Conference Grounds
$99 (lunch included)
A unique opportunity to learn a whole systems approach to pest management, this preconference addresses both soil health and habitat diversity on the farm. The target audience is PCAs, CCAs and growers of California agriculture. It covers techniques on how to reduce the use of pesticides and come into compliance with California's pesticide reduction strategy. Learn more about the sessions included in this pre-conference event below.
DPR and CCA continuing education credits will be applied for.
Features:
Soil Health and EcoSystem Management Minimize Soil Pest Problems
Dr. Margaret Lloyd, Small Farms Advisor, UCANR
Gerald Davis, Retired Agronomist and PCA for Grimmway Farms
Pest Management Practices Used in the Field
Kim Horton, Agronomy Manager, Taylor Farms
Dr. Dylan Beal, Entomology Farm Advisor, UCCE
Strengths and Weaknesses of Fungicide and Insecticide Biocontrol Products for Organic Growers
Dr. Matt Grieshop, Director, Grimm Family Organic Center at Cal Poly
Gina Bella Colfer, Sustainability PCA/CCA, Wilbur-Ellis
Weed Management Roundtable: The Role of Technology in Dealing with Weeds
Moderator: Richard Smith, Emeritus Farm Advisor, UCCE
Dr. Darryl Wong, Executive Director, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food System at UCSC
Curtis Garner, Cofounder, Verdant RoboticsNathan Dorn, Agricultural Business Development Lead, Farm-ng
Organic Thresholds and Scouting
Dr. David Headrick, Professor, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Jessica Vaughan, Vaughan Grower Consulting
It's a time of transition. The SPM Roadmap exists because society is learning about the risks and hazards that regulators have been denying. Chemical pesticides contribute to the chronic disease epidemic. Gender dysphoria is not being studied, but it looks like an epidemic as well. Endocrine-disrupting pesticides (e.g. neonics as well as methoxychlor and vinclozolin) could be contributing, along with BPA, phthalates & PCB's. It adds up to people with illnesses everywhere we look!
PCAs need of training in ecological approaches. If you want to learn how the below-ground as well as above-ground biological and ecological complexity works to lower the cost below chemical inputs for pest prevention and suppression on farms and in landscapes, you can develop a robust and satisfying career. Institutions offering CEUs do not provide this knowledge; you have to learn it from farms that are moving along the continuum from chemical to biological inputs toward biodiversity. Initiative and development of intuitive capabilities are needed to gain relevant knowledge and skill to be effective PCAs. A good place to find mentors and farms where you can make the necessary years in succession of observations in biologically managed settings is at ecological and regenerative farming conferences like this excellent workshop at Eco Farm.