Section E: Pest Management and Conclusion

VCUS 2020

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Alternative to pesticide use

Reduce the number of pesticides applied

Reduce the toxicity of the pesticides used

Improve effectiveness of chemical

Section E: Pest Management Practices

Section E: Pest Management Practices

Focus on Total Vegetable acresTarget & Non-target vegetables

Pests: = Weeds, Insects, Fungi & Diseases

Variety of questions

Yes=1

No=3 (Questionnaire Change!!!)

Section E: Pest Management Practices

Follow SKIP instructions on Q4 of Section E

Code = 1: Continue to Item 5

Code = 2: SKIP to Item 7

Code = 3: SKIP to Item 10

Enter completion code 1 (bottom of page 14 for section E) to explain why/if Sections E has no data in it or if it is incomplete.

Leave it blank if the section is complete.

Refusal/Inaccessible = 1

Section E: Pest Management Practices

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices- New Questions

• Several new questions added to the VCUS at request of USDA Office of Pest Management Policy

• Emphasize: – It’s okay if the operator isn’t implementing one of the

practices– Respondents should not feel pressured to provide an

answer when a practice isn’t being implemented

• If respondent refuses these questions, take good notes as to what was refused (versus simply unknown)

• Specify the primary vegetable crop and focus answers in Section E-1 on that crop.

• If the operation hires custom sprayers to apply pesticides, the operator may not have the answers to these questions.

• Use the “consent form” to get permission to contact the custom sprayer to collect this information.

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices

• On the new questions be sure to be thorough and take plenty of notes.

• Make sure to use code 99 when applicable on unknown answers to these questions.

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices: Question 1

• Focuses on strategies used by producers to reduce spray drift:– Was it used at all?

– Was it used specifically to reduce drift?

– How hard was it to implement this practice?

– Why was this practice not used (check all that apply means enter all relevant codes)

• Limited to Insecticides, Fungicides, Herbicides, and Plant Growth Regulators, Bactericides, and Nematodes

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices: Questions 2-3

• Focuses on spraying practices and methods of spraying and any needs to recalibrate the sprayers

• Be sure to specify on the lines provided if necessary (IC 5266 for question 2 and IC 5400 for question 3)

Section E: Pest Management Practices: Questions 4 and 5

• Questions are similar except for the fact that question 4 deals with pre-emergence applications and question 5 deals with post-emergence applications

• Focuses on the uses of air blast and ground boom tanks/systems

• Multiple pesticide types can be selected for columns 1 and 2 in 4a and 5a

• For the other sections of the question only one item code should be selected per column

• It is okay to fill out the “Don’t know” option when necessary (code 99)

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices: Question 6

• Focuses on spray equipment maintenance

• If the never box (IC 5464 or IC 5276) in 6a is selected, then its corresponding column in 6b should be skipped completely

• For 6d, multiple item codes can be selected

• Be sure to specify when necessary

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices: Question 7

• Focuses on hedge row and other wind-breaking structures

-Hedge rows are classified as dense woody vegetation planted in a linear design to achieve a natural resource conservation purpose

• Select only one of the six items (1-5 or 99 if unknown)

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices: Question 8

• Question focuses on how often certain practices were used to manage pesticide resistance

• Make sure to specify between herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides

• Don’t put answers in any boxes that are grayed out – some parts are only specific to certain types of pesticides.

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices: Questions 9 and 10

• These questions focus on sources of information (Question 9) and types of services provided by University or Cooperative Extension used to inform pest management decisions (Question 10)

• Most of the responses are in percentage ranges (Always, most of the time, sometimes, never)

• Only one answer per letter and column

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices: Question 11

• Question focuses on communications and consultations with different sources regarding reducing off-target impacts

• Check all boxes that apply, and be sure to take good notes if specifying is necessary.

• If none of the boxes are applicable, you don’t have to check one. Just leave a note on the page to verify answer as “none of the above”.

Section E-1: Pest Management Practices: Questions 12 and 13

• Question 12 focusses on how often Best Management Practices (BMPs) were used during the season. Questions in column 2 only need answers if the corresponding question in Column 1 was answered with a 1,2, or 3.

• Check all item codes that apply for question 13. Specify with a write in response for IC 5363 if necessary.

Conclusion

Ending time: Military formatRecord time for multiple contacts as an aggregate

of each contact. (sum of time for all contacts)Exclude review and edit time; just survey time

Write total near the ‘time in hours’ Office Use box on back page

1 4 0 0

Conclusion

If records used: IC 064 = 1 If none IC 064 = 3

Record number of supplements used:Pesticide Supplements - IC 068

Questionnaire Review

1 1 3

1 1 2 2 2 0

26 999

A. Lotta