IPM funding at risk

I have delayed weighing in on the developing Farm Bill because I share the views, more eloquently put, of many other organizations, including:
The Entomological Society of America
The Southern Region IPM Center
The Farm Press

However, I think it's time to add my voice to chorus in support of the restoration of the "406 Programs" to the 2011 Farm Bill. These programs not only support direct research on important agricultural issues (Program areas: Methyl Bromide Alternatives, Crops at Risk, and Risk Avoidance and Mitigation, among others), these are also the funds the support our state and regional IPM centers. These centers (North Central, Northeastern, Western, and Southern) are catalysts for IPM research, implementation, and practice and are essential to the work I do.

The House Agricultural Appropriations Committee has left funding out for CAR, RAMP, and regional IPM centers, but has resorted some of the 406 programs (MBT, Food Safety, and Water Quality). The loss of the regional IPM centers in particular would be devastating for applied agriculture research and extension in North Carolina. If you feel strongly about this type of research, now is the time to contact your representative and let them know that you support the mission of the 406 programs.

The NC House of Representatives Members can be found here.