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PA EPA AWARDS GRANTS AIMED AT REDUCING PESTICIDE RISK
Release Date: 07/17/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1998
EPA AWARDS GRANTS AIMED AT REDUCING PESTICIDE RISK
EPA has awarded grants totaling almost $500,000 as part of its Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP). The grants were awarded by EPA’s regional offices and will support projects at the state and local level. PESP is a voluntary public-private partnership dedicated to reducing pesticide risk in agricultural and non-agricultural settings. Many of the grant projects emphasize Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which involves the carefully managed use of a variety of pest control methods (such as natural pest enemies, crop rotation and judicious pesticide use) to achieve results. The PESP program was created in 1994 and since then EPA has awarded a total of $2.5 million to 73 grant recipients. Regional grant recipients of the 1998 PESP program are: University of Maine: $39,730 to test spraying methods and evaluate the effectiveness of less toxic pesticides alternatives; Vermont Department of Agriculture: $10,109 to support programs educating homeowners on the safe use of pesticides; New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Cornell University: $34,173 for the development of a flexible, new spraying structure for improved pesticide application in high-density apple orchards; University of Delaware: $40,000 to monitor and determine the effectiveness of reducing herbicide application rates for irrigated corn production; University of Georgia: $39,997 to develop and implement IPM options for mid-season peach production; North Carolina State University: $38,472 to evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of biopesticides as the basis for IPM in apple orchards; Michigan State University: $40,000 to develop training materials for farmers that focus on the use of pest ecology and management systems; Texas Agricultural Experiment Station: $40,000 to promote the use and benefits of contour filter strips that reduce agricultural runoff; University of Nebraska: $39,999 to build awareness and provide farmers with information on organic grain farming methods; Iowa State University: $40,000 to reduce pesticide use and accelerate IPM implementation with support of site-specific weather data models; Montana State University: $36,020 to collect data on the effectiveness of aeration as a method for controlling insects in large grain bulk containers; Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission: $20,000 to develop and implement integrated farming programs for winegrape growers in Lodi, Calif.; University of California Agriculture Research and Education Program: $40,000 to develop and distribute information on biologically integrated farming systems for field and row crops; and Washington State Department of Agriculture: $40,000 to assist in establishing a state program that will provide growers with technical assistance on sustainable farming practices.
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