Think IPM: Farm Services

Farm Services

Farm supply dealerships offer IPM services

Contact Agriliance for information on Wisconsin farm supply co-ops that may offer IPM services.

Contact your local farm supplier's agronomy department and let them know you are interested in using IPM services, should they offer them.

If you live around DePere and Brillion, contact Progressive Farmers supply co-op for IPM services or email them at depere@progressivefarmers.com

If you live in the Cedarburg / Cleveland area, contact Adell Cooperative Union at adell2@excel.net for assistance as you develop an IPM program.

Gempler's offers a full range of IPM products available through mail order or on-line through their Belleville, WI warehouse. Their newsletter, the IPM Almanac, is available on-line.

Training programs in Integrated Pest Management are available

Agriliance offers training to co-op employees interested in providing IPM services to their clients.

The American Society of Agronomy offers certification and workshops to anyone interested in providing IPM services. Certification is available by obtaining Continuing Eduction Units (CEUs) through qualifying workshops.

The WI Master Gardener program offers training in pest management.

The UW-Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems offers courses for Beginning Market Growers and Beginning Dairy and Livestock Farmers that address pest management options.

Many farm commodity organizations offer workshops on pest management at their winter and summer meetings. Contact them through the links provided in the Farmer Networks and Organizations section. You may also learn about training opportunites through links at the University and Government Services page on this site.

IPM crop standards, certification, and labeling can help you communicate product value to your customers

The IPM Institute of North America, Inc. helps reward farmers that practice IPM. It provides verifiable certification for products and services meeting the Institute's high standards. It also offers seminars and workshops on certification, labeling, and other related issues.

Protected Harvest independently certifies farmers' use of stringent environmental growing standards that support the Healthy Grown label.

The Food Alliance is developing certification for products produced sustainably.

Red Tomato brokers eco-farm products around the US.

The Organic Alliance encourages organic agriculture with an advertising, media and promotional initiative and includes a label for retail use.

Organic Crop Improvement Association - organic farmers rely on bio-intensive IPM to control all pests without pesticides. This farmer organization works with farmers to certify as organic. They may be able to provide you with information on how to transition to organic production.

Home Grown Wisconsin can help you market products grown with biological pest control.

If you direct market fresh fruits and vegetables you may be eligible to list your IPM products with The Farm Fresh Atlas. There are five atlas projects around the state: Southern, Western, Central, Southeast, and Eastern Wisconsin. For information on the atlas in Eastern Wisconsin, contact Fred Depies, fkdepies@charter.net or 920-898-1814.

Professional crop consultants can work with you to reduce pesticide risk

The Wisconsin Eco-Fruit project works with John Aue at Threshold IPM Services to coach growers on IPM strategies. Contact John at jgaue@mwt.net, 608.538.3192

Wisconsin Association of Professional Consultants networks consultants through New Horizons seminars and an annual meeting. They also publish a regular newsletter. Contact Judy Brannstrom, 608.833.7989, wapac@itis.com

Are you interested in becoming a crop consultant? Contact The American Society of Agronomy for more information on how to become a certified crop consultant in Wisconsin.

The UW offers courses in IPM that can help you pick up the skills you need to apply IPM to your own cropland or use to become a consultant to growers. Go to their home page for more information about up-coming classes.

The WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) certifies people to apply pesticides. If pesticide application is part of your business you may want to take the UW training for pesticide application and take this DATCP test to ensure you are not taking any undue risk in your use of pesticides.

Who sponsors this site?

This site is made possible by Wisconsin agricultural organizations that know reducing high-risk pesticides is both possible and desireable. Reducing pesticides is possible because farmers and researchers are continually searching for better ways to manage pests. Reducing high risk pesticides is desirable because high risk pesticides can have unintended negative affects on our health and environment.

A number of agencies also support the University of Wisconsin's Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems work on pesticide reduction. They are: