A two-day workshop for ecologically-based pest management for sustainable and organic vegetable production will be held on June 21 & 22, 2011 in Charleston, SC at the USDA Vegetable Laboratory and Coastal Research and Education Center, 2700 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC.

This two-day course will cover the key principles and concepts that can be used to effectively manage diseases, insect pests and weeds in small-scale, diversified vegetable production with an emphasis on non-chemical approaches approved for certified organic crop production. The focus will be on implementation of preventative cultural practices that can be integrated into the farm plan to discourage diseases, pests and weeds from becoming a problem.  The training will emphasize a holistic, integrated and systems approach to pest management, and will include classroom instruction and a trip to Ambrose Family Farm where participants will see examples of real-life pest problems and demonstrations of cultural pest management practices, with ample time for open discussion about pest problems and solutions.

This course is part of a series of Organic Pest Management trainings to be held throughout 2011 and supported by a grant from Southern Region SARE. Subsequent trainings will focus specifically on disease, insect and weed management. Announcements of other training events will be available soon.

Instructors:
Dr. Mark Boudreau, Plant Pathologist, University of Georgia. Dr. Boudreau is a plant pathologist with the Dept. of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at UGA. He is an expert on disease management for organic crop systems, has conducted research and published numerous articles on disease control in certified organic production, and has served as a consultant to farmers and agriculture professionals on organic agriculture and disease management.

Dr. Anthony Keinath, Professor of Plant Pathology, Clemson University.  Dr. Keinath serves as the vegetable pathologist for South Carolina growers. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Plant Disease, the leading international journal for applied plant pathology research.  His research focuses on management, ecology, and epidemiology of fungal and bacterial pathogens of cucurbits and cole crops and general integrated pest management for vegetables. His area of expertise is the fungus Didymella bryoniae, the cause of gummy stem blight and black rot on cucurbits.

Daniel Parson, Farmer, Parson Produce, Clinton, SC. Daniel received a M.S. degree in Sustainable Agriculture from Clemson University, and operates a small, diversified farm where he grows a variety of vegetable crops using organic production practices. Daniel is the recipient of the 2009 Georgia Organics Georgia Land Steward of the Year award.

Dr. Mark Schonbeck, Virginia Association of Biological Farming. Dr. Schonbeck is a consultant in sustainable agriculture, homestead gardener, and editor of the Virginia Biological Farmer. He has conducted on-farm research and written articles on cover cropping, mulching, and other practices for organic soil improvement and weed control and is experienced with organic weed management challenges in our region.

Dr. Powell Smith, Extension Entomologist and Vegetable Specialist, Clemson University. Dr. Smith is an expert on sustainable/organic insect pest management for vegetable crop production and conducts statewide training programs for farmers and Extension personnel. He has focused much of his research in the area of biological control, and has developed insect pest management programs for local growers that rely on conservation of natural enemies that has greatly reduced their dependence on insecticides.

Dr. Geoff Zehnder, Coordinator of the Integrated Pest Management and Sustainable Agriculture Programs at Clemson University. Dr. Zehnders background is in entomology with a particular interest in pest management for organic vegetable production systems. He has held research and Extension positions in vegetable insect pest management at Virginia Tech and Auburn Universities before coming to Clemson, and also directs the Student Organic Farm project at Clemson.

Agenda
DAY 1
8:00     Continental breakfast available at CREC
8:30     Introduction (Geoff Zehnder)
8:45      Organic insect pest management (Powell Smith)
10:30   Organic disease management (Mark Boudreau)
12:15   Lunch
1:00     Tour of biofumigation project at CREC (Zach Hansen and Anthony Keinath)
1:45      Organic weed management (Mark Schonbeck)
3:30     Group discussion
4:15     Adjourn

DAY 2
8:00     Continental breakfast available at CREC
8:30     Car pool from CREC to Ambrose Family Farm
(2349 Black Pond Lane, Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487)
9:00     Tour of Ambrose Family Farm and discussion of organic pest management strategies
(Drs. Boudreau, Keinath, Schonbeck, Smith)
11:45   Return to CREC
12:30   Lunch at CREC (provided by Ambrose Farms’ Stono Farm Market Cafe
1:30     Putting it all together; incorporating organic pest management strategies into the overall farm plan (Daniel Parson)
3:30     Group discussion
4:00     Adjourn

Registration
Registration for non-extension personnel is $75 which includes course instruction, resource materials and lunch both days. (fee waived for Clemson and SCSU Extension agents**).  Registration deadline is June 16th .

Please complete and return the registration form below via email to Kelly Gilkerson, kgilker@clemson.edu <mailto:kgilker@clemson.edu> , AND send your check in the amount of $75 (payable to Clemson University) to Kelly Gilkerson, Dept. of Entomology, 114 Long Hall, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634. Once your check has been received you will receive a confirmation of your registration via email. (Please include contact email information with your check correspondence)

Registration and Travel Expense Information for Cooperative Extension Personnel:
**Please complete and return the registration form below via email to Kelly Gilkerson, kgilker@clemson.edu. Registration fee is waived for Cooperative Extension personnel.

Personal vehicle mileage, one night hotel and registration will be covered for Cooperative Extension personnel who attend the training. Mileage and hotel will be paid on a reimbursement basis after the event upon receipt of the Extension travel form and hotel receipt.

Questions?
Contact Kelly Gilkerson (kgilker@clemson.edu) or Geoff Zehnder (zehnder@clemson.edu) for additional information

REGISTRATION FORM
Ecologically-Based Pest Management for Sustainable/Organic Vegetable Production

Yes, I plan to attend the training on June 21 and 22:

Name: ___________________________________________
Affiliation: _________________________________________
Phone: ___________________________________________
Email: ____________________________________________

_____I work with Clemson or SCSU Cooperative Extension
_____I am not affiliated with Cooperative Extension and my $75 registration fee is enclosed (Payable by check only.) Please make check out to: Clemson University and mail to: Kelly Gilkerson, Dept. of Entomology, 114 Long Hall, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634
_____ I prefer a vegetarian lunch or have the following dietary restrictions: