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 The Arkansas Component of the Southern Region IPM Center
Project Abstract and Priorities
The purpose of this project is to establish an Arkansas State Contact (ASC)
to participate in the communications network of the Southern Region Integrated
Pest Management Center (SRIPMC). In this capacity the ASC will serve as the
primary contact to address the informational needs of EPA, USDA, and other
stakeholders, concerning integrated pest management, pesticide use practices,
crop profiles, pest management strategic plans, pesticide regulation, and other
pest management issues that arise during the contract period. The Project
Director will work closely with the state’s IPM and IR-4 Coordinators to plan,
integrate, and analyze data requests and submissions. Responses to requests for
information and other related activities will be documented and submitted to the
SRIPMC by the ASC.
A major component in the process will be the input and guidance of the
various stakeholders in Arkansas crop pest management. The ASC will maintain and
expand the current stakeholder network established by the Project Director to
develop state/regional pest management strategic plans and crop profiles. The
Arkansas stakeholders represented on pest management advisory and priority
setting committees in the past three years include: growers/producers,
university researchers, Extension specialists and agents, private consultants,
IR-4 representatives, commodity groups, promotion boards, state regulatory
agencies, EPA, and USDA. We will continue to expand the network to include
representation and expertise for all the major crops of Arkansas. A list of the
members of this network as organized by issues/expertise, an organized listing
of the various pest management priorities, and an explanation of the process
used to establish the priorities will be made available online on the ASC
project website.
Arkansas has produced eleven crop profiles and directed regional pest
management strategic plans on cotton and rice (both completed) and soybeans
(under development) under the direction of Ples Spradley, the Project Director
for this proposal. As the ASC, we will continue to provide oversight and support
on the development and completion of crop profiles, strategic plans, and other
relevant issues/projects and will report in detail on these activities to the
SRIPMC.
Project Leader and contact for program information:
Ples Spradley
State Contact for Southern Region IPM Center
Associate Professor - Department of Plant Pathology
University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture
2301 S. University Ave.
P.O. Box 391
Little Rock, AR 72204
Phone: 501-671-2234
FAX: 501-671-2252
E-mail: pspradley@uaex.edu
This site is supported, in part, with funding from the Southern
Region IPM Center |
