Gain Control Of Pests In Organic Farming
Over the past 20 years, the organic sector of U.S. agriculture has been one of the fastest growing domestic markets. Sales of organic products have typically increased 15% to 20% a year since 1990, but still represent a very small portion (3.7%) of all food products sold in the U.S. Domestic sales of organic foods reached 24.8 billion in 2009 according to the Organic Trade Association.
For growers to sell products as organic, they must become certified following the requirement of the National Organic Program (NOP) established by the USDA in 2002. Certified organic farms must prepare and submit a farm plan that details all practices and inputs to show how they will comply with the National Standard. A USDA‐accredited certifier must approve the plans. Thereafter, farmers must also keep records to prove that they are following the approved plan. In addition, organic farms must be inspected every year to further ensure compliance. The NOP has many requirements for various management aspects of the farm, including pest management. Pest management in organic production systems requires a multifaceted program, taking into consideration variety selection, cultural methods, biologicals, and chemical applications approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) and certified organic under the NOP.
In order to demonstrate an adequate pest management strategy for certification, producers need to know which pest they are likely to find on their crops, the life cycles of those pests, pest levels tolerated by the crop, approximate time of emergence, method of dispersion, and the like. The challenge is to manage the interacting factors of the environment to minimize pest damage to crops. Due to the limited number of approved substances for pest control in organic production, this is achieved largely through prevention. Regardless of the pest, organic farmers emphasize pest prevention through avoidance strategies including sanitation, rotation, soil improvement, timing of planting, using resistant varieties, and similar best management practices. In addition to avoidance strategies, producers can use tactics that exaggerate naturally occurring control mechanisms, such as attracting and maintaining healthy populations of beneficial insects or using trap crops to deter pests from the cash crop where they can be controlled.
Multilevel Pest Management Approach
A three- tiered approach is used to ensure producers are managing pests with physical, biological and cultural means prior to relying on approved substances. Although the distinction between the levels is not always clear, the levels are defined by the NOP as Follows:
- Level One – Management practices that reduce the potential for the development of pests. These are proactive measures the producer must take to eliminate the need for additional management.
- Level Two – Involves the use of traditional management practices, primarily cultural and mechanical steps or the use of “natural” products.
- Level Three – Allows for the use of a wider array of botanical products including allowable synthetics.
Producers must document their efforts toward compliance on the first two levels. Because some proactive measures are also traditional management practices, the distinction between Levels One and Two is often minimal. Producers should not concern themselves too much with placing practices in category “One” or “Two”, but rather develop a pest management strategy to ensure all steps are taken to avoid reliance on Level Three controls. Examples of Levels One and Two practices include: alternating plant families or plant growth habits in time and space (rotation, intercropping), establishing predator populations in border crops, selecting resistant varieties and using row covers. Level Three controls are the producer’s last line of defense and should only be used when all other options have been exhausted. If a producer anticipates the need for curative controls (Level Three), then that information should be included in the Organic System Plan.
There are several classes of allowed pesticides in organic production. These include biopesticides, botanical (plant‐based) materials, minerals (copper, sulfur, baking soda, diatomaceous earth), superior spray oils, hydrogen peroxide, and insecticidal soaps. This may occur when the sum of preventative practices are predicted to be insufficient for adequate control.
Figuring Farmscaping
Recently there has been great interest in using farmscaping techniques as part of integrated pest management programs in organic production. Farmscaping techniques are showing promising results and can be used in organic and conventional farming systems. Farmscaping is a whole-farm, ecological approach to increase and manage biodiversity with the goal of increasing the presence of beneficial organisms. Farmscaping methods include the use of insectary plants, hedgerows, cover crops, and water reservoirs to attract and support populations of beneficial organisms such as insects, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, bats, and birds that parasitize or prey upon insect pests. Insectary plants like mustards interplanted with market crops provide pollen and nectar to attract and maintain beneficial insects in the crop landscape. Ideal farmscape plantings provide food and shelter for beneficial organisms, suppress weeds, and grow in close proximity to the cash crop without competing for space (light, water and nutrients). In some cases, the term “farmscaping” is broadened beyond just augmentation of insectary plants to include trap crops—i.e. host plants that are more attractive to the pest than the cash crop that are planted near the cash crop to “trap” pests, thus reducing pressure and damage to the cash crop (Zehnder, G., 2014).
If you would like to learn more about farmscaping, the University of Florida Living Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Field Laboratory in Live Oak, provides hands-on demonstration of whole farm IPM – farmscaping and year round training programs for farmers and other interested clientele.
What Are The Rules For Use Of Organic Materials?
Organic growers must use products that meet the requirements of USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). Ingredients found in farm input products for crop or livestock production must either be a natural substance, or a synthetic substance that is included on the National List. A few natural substances are also specifically prohibited. Inert ingredients used in pesticides (ingredients other than pesticides) must be considered by the U.S. EPA to be inert and of minimal risk.
Certification agencies have the responsibility of verifying that products used by farmers meet the requirements of the National List. They must review both the active and the non-active (inert) ingredients for compliance. Many certifiers use the services of the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), a non-profit organization established to provide this service of product review. Crop production materials have one of the following OMRI Status designations:
- Allowed (A) substances include non-synthetic materials that are not specifically prohibited by NOP and synthetic materials that are specifically allowed. OMRI allowed status indicates that these materials are not subject to restrictions that limit their use.
- Restricted (R) substances are allowed in organic production subject to NOP rule use restrictions. Materials that are “Allowed with Restrictions” include substances subject to use with some special restrictions.
- Prohibited (P) substances in crop production are generally defined in the NOP rule. This group includes synthetic substances that are not allowed for use in organic production.
EPA also had a voluntary label review program for registered pesticides. A product that meets the USDA-NOP requirements may use the specific wording “For Organic Production” with a three leaf logo for organic production. If a product is not listed by OMRI, EPA, or directly by the certifier, the farmer will generally need to be able to provide enough information to the certifier to assure that the product is in compliance with the NOP rules. Use of a prohibited material on an organic farm could result in loss of certification for 36 months.
Some of the more commonly use active ingredients that are formulated in a manner to be approved for organic production includes:
- Bacillus pumilis
- Bacillus thuringiensis
- Bacillus subtilis
- Beauveria bassiana
- Bicarbonate
- Certain Pyrethrum products
- Copper
- Diatomaceous earth
- Kaolin Clay
- Neem products
- Pesticidal Soaps
- Oils (non-synthetic sources)
- Spinosad
- Sulfur
Note: This list is intended as examples of materials commonly used in organic products, but listing here does not mean all sources of these materials are labeled for use in organic production. As you can see, there are a very limited number of materials available for curative measures. This is true especially for disease and weed management. This fact reinforces the concepts for managing pests and not relying on curative measures as the first step.
Proper Application Of Pesticides
Certified organic growers do not need to have a pesticide applicator license as none of the pesticides allowed in organic production are restricted use pesticides. However, the pesticide applicator should be trained to follow label directions, operate equipment correctly (mix and load, calibrate sprayer, etc.) and assess the efficacy of applications made. In Florida, pest control is a year-round consideration, and many times an allowed pesticide will be chosen as part of the management plan for the problem in organic production. Pesticides allowed in organic production are often costly so ensuring that the applicator is well trained is necessary. For more information on pesticide application training opportunities contact your local County Extension Office.
Benefits Of Recordkeeping
Agricultural producers who keep records of their pesticide use are smart managers. By using their pesticide records, they can make decisions that save time and money.
Here are examples of benefits to recording and maintaining accurate pesticide-use records (Aerts, M., Nesheim, O.N. and Fishel, F.M. (2012).
Pesticide-management: a certified applicator keeps track of different pesticide treatments and results through recordkeeping. Producers can then use these records to analyze the effectiveness of past pesticide applications and determine the best pesticide-management program to deal with current problems. Records also provide a documentation system for determining crop replant, rotation and pre-harvest intervals, and forage, feed and grazing restrictions.
Integrated Pest Management: Pesticide recordkeeping is a major tool of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Recordkeeping of different application rates, products, techniques, and growing conditions enables an applicator to increase profits through better pesticide-use planning.
Food-Supply Safety: Although the U.S. has the safest, most affordable, and most abundant food supply in the world, food safety concerns continue to be expressed by the general public. Pesticide application records are required for farms that have an on-farm food safety plan regardless of the fact the operation is organic or conventional.
Improper Application Safeguard: Records are the best safeguard if a producer is accused of an improper application that causes drift, personal injury, or potential water-quality impairment.
Health Management: The ability to provide information on the use of restricted-use pesticides (in the case of medical treatment) benefits the applicator, agriculture producer, workers, and medical personnel.
References
Aerts, M., Nesheim, O.N. and Fishel, F.M. (2012). Pesticide Recordkeeping. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi012
Zehnder, G. Farmscaping: Making Use of Nature’s Pest Management Services. http://www.extension.org/pages/18573/farmscaping:-making-use-of-natures-pest-management-services#.U15rVqPD_IU
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