Biological Control in Protected Agriculture: A short course in strategy and planning

Jeremy Jubenville<jubenvi3@msu.edu> - July 19, 2018

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to learn from one of the best in the industry.

A minute pirate bug (Orius insidiosus) feeding on immature whiteflies. Photo courtesy of USDA.

Michigan State University Extension’s floriculture team is pleased to offer an intensive one-day short course on greenhouse biological control on Aug. 21, 2018, at Great Lakes Greenhouse, 6573 East N Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI. Effective biological control programs require detailed planning and a proactive mindset. This course will help beginning and advanced practitioners develop a pest management plan and hone their product deployment techniques.

Successful pest management is an essential component of growing high-quality crops in protected environments. This course places special emphasis on controlling pests in spring floriculture crops and features guest educator Graeme Murphy from bioLogical control solutions. Murphy served as the greenhouse floriculture IPM specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for 26 years and is an internationally recognized expert on greenhouse biological control. He currently works as a consultant helping greenhouse growers refine their pest management programs.

The morning sessions, taught by Murphy, will focus on techniques that he has found to be highly successful in working with Ontario greenhouse growers for more than 20 years. The afternoon sessions adopt a group-oriented approach that feature a conversation on the economics of biocontrol, a pest management planning exercise and a Q&A panel of IPM specialists and experienced growers.

The curriculum for this course has been designed for flexibility on discussion topics and the on-site greenhouse location provides the opportunity for demonstrations and hands-on activities. Be sure to bring all your biocontrol questions and ask the experts!

Normal registration is now open and ends Aug. 10, 2018. Late registration ends Aug. 17, 2018. On-site registration will be available unless the venue is at capacity. Doors open at 8 a.m. with an optional tour of the facility beginning at 8:15 a.m.

Visit the Biological Control Short Course website for registration and full schedule.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).