American Hazelnuts (Corylus Americana) are native to the Upper Midwest. Hybrids between C. americana and European hazelnuts (Corylus avellana) show promise as a commercial crop and, as woody perennials, may offer environmental benefits by providing continuous cover on the land. However, competition from weeds can negatively impact the establishment and growth of hazelnuts.

Due to the limited number of apple IPM consultants in Wisconsin and the high cost of hiring consultants, few Wisconsin apple growers have been able to take advantage of professional consultant expertise in implementing IPM on their orchards. To address this need, the Eco-Apple Project launched a blog in 2006 and free weekly conference calls with an apple IPM consultant in 2007.

Printer-friendly version (PDF) Apple orchards attract many kinds of insects that damage vegetation and fruit. But these orchard pests have insect enemies of their own. […]

The cornerstone of any Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is regular scouting of the crop at hand. It’s important that the scouting or monitoring practices […]

Canada thistle is a big headache for livestock producers managing pastures. Animals won’t eat this spiny, tough plant, reducing productivity of pastures and livestock. Despite being on Wisconsin’s noxious weed list and a target for serious control for many years, it is still a significant, widespread problem.

The Pesticide Use and Risk Reduction (PURR) Project was initiated in 1998 to help farmers anticipate the effects of more restrictive federal pesticide regulation. Fourteen […]

Researchers at UW-Madison found that exposure to low levels of a common lawn herbicide mixture led to reduced litter sizes in laboratory mice. This research builds on other studies showing possible links between pesticide exposure and reproductive and/or developmental problems in animals and humans.

Chemicals are not the only, or often the best, option for controlling pest problems. Integrated Pest Management is an alternative that uses all appropriate pest […]

In fruit and vegetable production, more labor is often spent on weed management than any other task. Understanding where a weed grows, why it grows […]

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) combines monitoring practices with cultural, physical, and biological control strategies to manage pests with a minimum of pesticides. With support from the Pesticide Use and Risk Reduction Project at CIAS, UW-Madison rural sociologist Pete Nowak and Extension IPM specialist Karen Delahaut surveyed Wisconsin fresh market vegetable and berry growers in 2001. They found that many fresh market vegetable and berry growers in Wisconsin use IPM practices.