IPM Voice Newsletter                                                                                                                        April 2013
IPM in the President's 2014 Budget Proposal  

The Administration has released its FY 2014 budget request. As in last year's proposal, core IPM programs are consolidated under one Crop Protection Program. This consolidation is responsive to Congress's request to reduce individual funding lines, and may help provide critical mass to preserve and build IPM support going forward.

 

The President's 2014 proposal requests $17.1 million for the consolidated "Crop Protection Program", which "focuses on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies that are affordable and minimize environmental and human health risks." Included are the Expert IPM Decision Support System, IPM and Biological Control, Pest Management Alternatives, Smith-Lever 3(d) Pest Management and Regional Pest Management Centers.

 

In contrast to last year's proposal, the Minor Crop Pest Management Program (also known as IR-4), which was included in the consolidated program in the 2013 request, will be administered as a stand-alone program.

 

The President's proposal calls for cuts to some farm bill conservation programs that offer opportunities for IPM adoption, including a $400 million cut to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and a $288 million cut to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  

IPM Program Funding Levels, CSP and EQIP Set in Final FY 2013 Continuing Resolution 
The FY 2013 Continuing Resolution was passed and signed into law last month, setting federal program funding levels for the remainder of FY 2013. Like many government programs and agencies that faced across-the-board cuts (also known as sequestration), IPM and related programs within the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) were cut by 7.61% from FY 2012. Cuts were made to these programs while providing a net $12.8 million increase to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and smaller increases to other NIFA accounts; see Table 1.

Tabel 1. Budget Comparison, FY 2012 and proposed House and Senate FY 2013, dollars in millions.         

 

FY 2012 Final

FY 2013 Final

   Change from FY 2012

Regional IPM Centers

$4.000

$3.695

- 7.61%

Regional IPM Grants Program

$2.362

$2.182

- 7.61%

Expert IPM Decision Support System

$0.153

$0.141

- 7.61%

Pest Management Alternatives Program

$1.402

$1.295

- 7.61%

Smith-Lever 3(d): Pest Management

$9.918

$9.163

- 7.61%

Methyl Bromide Transitions Program

$1.996

$1.844

- 7.61%

 

IR-4

$11.913

$11.006

- 7.61%

AFRI Overall

$264.470

$276.980

4.73%


Other programs that offer opportunities for IPM faced similar cuts or were not included in the final appropriations bill. EQIP was cut by $350 million and the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), which was left out of the farm bill extension, was not included in the FY 2013 final bill and at this point is unfunded for 2013. There may be an opportunity to reinstate funding for SCRI and the other programs left off the extension if Congress is able to finalize a farm bill before the end of this fiscal year.   


The final FY 2013 bill restores funding for the CSP, which was left out of an earlier FY 2013 continuing resolution. After sequestration cuts, NRCS has CSP funding to enroll roughly 12 million acres in this fiscal year. The CSP enrollment deadline is expected to be set for sometime in May.

Opportunities for IPM in the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Food Security Grant Program 
In 2012, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) received approximately 70 stakeholder comments on the AFRI Food Security program. IPM stakeholders brought attention to the disproportionate cuts that NIFA's IPM portfolio has taken over the past decade: core IPM funding has declined by $8.5 million, or 33% since 2000. Over the same period, overall National Institute for Food and Agriculture has increased 24%. Stakeholders suggested that support for IPM be specifically included within AFRI, through programs like the Food Security Grant. IPM has great potential to increase food security by effectively managing pests and responding rapidly to crises, reducing agricultural losses caused by pests and disease. The FY 2013 AFRI Food Security RFA was released last month, and includes two program areas that offer specific opportunities for IPM projects and activities: Reducing Crop and Livestock Losses (offering up to $1 million for projects up to five years) and the Food Security Conference or Workshop programs Conference Grants (offering $50,000 for project periods of one year). Applications for both programs are due July 17, 2013.

USA Today Highlights Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month

A recent article in USA Today outlines the dangers and economic threats of invasive pests and diseases to US cropland and forests. The US Department of Agriculture released a list of the top invasive pests, which includes the Asian citrus psyllid, Asian longhorned beetle and false codling moth. The USDA website HungryPests.com has suggestions on how to stop the spread of these and other invasive pests.

Upcoming IPM-Related Meetings and Conferences

June 16-19, 2013: The ESA North Central Branch Meeting. Rapid City, SD

June 25-27, 2013: North American Invasive Plant Short Course (NAIPSC). North Platte, NE

July 13-17, 2013: Aquatic Plant Management Society Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX.

August 11-14, 2013: Planning and Implementing Sustainable IPM Systems. Corvallis, OR.

Mark your calendars: 8th International IPM Symposium, March 23-26, 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah 

IPM Voice is an independent, non-profit organization advocating for integrated pest management (IPM) that is genuinely progressive and seeks continuous improvement of environmental, social and economic conditions through application of accepted scientific principles.  IPM Voice was formed in 2010 by more than 35 professionals working to expand the benefits IPM has provided to agriculture and communities for more than 40 years.

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