With the planting season slowly winding down, the focus shifts from timely planting to crop management, and more importantly, pest management and the best way to manage pest populations on a farm through a pest management plan.

An integrated pest management plan is a holistic approach to all aspects of crop production that uses chemical, mechanical, cultural and biological controls to limit pest damage.

Many think pest management is herbicide applications on corn and bean crops, but pests can be insects, disease and weed pressure, and a true management plan uses tillage, crop rotations, planting dates, harvest intervals, genetically modified plants and nutrient application methods — just to name a few — to limit pest damage to farming operations.

The plan is developed using the above mentioned practices and targets common pests for the crops grown on the farm.

For the most part, plans utilize low-cost methods to treat many pest threats. Crop rotations, tillage practices and harvest intervals deter pest populations, for example, but when these methods are not enough, mechanical, biological and chemical methods are used to bring pests below detrimental levels.

To determine timely treatments, economic thresholds are used to determine when a pest population is feasible for treatment. Time, material expenses, pest populations and crop value are all considered when determining these values.

The plan describes scouting methods to determine pest populations, when action should be taken and which option, chemical or mechanical, is the best method for treatment.

As farming technology continues to increase significantly, genetically modified crops dominate the seed catalogs, and new pesticides continue to be developed. Because of this, farmers need to verify they can justify the added expense of genetically modified crops and brand-name herbicides. In many cases, the insurance provided by these crops is worth the price. However, there are times when cheaper varieties that produce equally can and should be used.

Farmers also need to be mindful of establishing proper refuges and applying pesticides according to label guidelines. Overapplying pesticides and limiting refuge acreage is detrimental to long-term farming practices. Case after case has shown when the same herbicide family is used year after year, resistance is developed limiting control methods.

The most common resistance is that of triazine-resistant lambsquarter. While control can still be had by other methods, glyphosate-resistant weeds are not as easily treated, and typically, crops must be rotated, and more expensive herbicides must be used to control the resistant plants.

It is up to farmers to police themselves to ensure these technologies are successful for years to come.

Because an integrated pest management plan can be so beneficial to an operation, the Environmental Quality Incentive program provides incentives to farmers to implement plans. This money also can be used to develop plans utilizing private sector crop advisers.

Farmers can contact our office for more information on developing and implementing these plans.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.