FAYETTEVILLE — The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food is offering a two-day course in sustainable pest control for fruit and vegetable growers on June 17-18.
“The integrated pest management short course will help farmers understand how to manage many common insects found in fruits and vegetables in Northwest Arkansas using organic practices,” Joe Hannon, CAFF horticulture instructor.
The course will be held at the CAFF Farm at 1005 Meade Ave. in Fayetteville. The $30 registration includes lunch. The sessions run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. Register online.
The session will be led by CAFF instructors, county extension agents, and local farmers who will share their expertise and best practices.
The agenda includes pest identification, scouting, and trapping, building a pest management plan and sprayer calibration for a bed or a field:
Day 1
Identification of common fruit and vegetable pests — Aaron Cato, extension specialist – horticulture-integrated pest management
Building and checking traps at CAFF — Colin Massey, Washington County extension agent
Options for organic pest management — Joe Hannan, horticulture instructor, CAFF
Day 2
Building a pest management plan — Joe Hannan, horticulture instructor, CAFF
What does it cost? — Ryan Neal, Benton County extension agent
Sprayer calibration for 1,000 square feet or 100,000 square feet — instructor to be determined.
Find more information https://farmandfoodsystem.uada.edu/short-courses/.
About CAFF
The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food was developed to strengthen and expand our food and farming system by providing new opportunities to shape our current and future farmers, food entrepreneurs and food system leaders. CAFF is a program of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station through the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
