I agree with Allen....IPM is so often used as a false code for "natural", "almost organic", or "chemical free"....it is no such thing.  IPM is a methodology for using treatments of various kinds...it is not an indication of what treatments are or are not used.

One farmer we work with was part of a state IPM program (I believe administered by a local state university)...but was kicked out...why?  He sells mostly direct to consumer (farmers markets and CSA) and he knows that his customers want as little pesticide as possible on their food (and he wants as little on his land as possible).  He decided that the proscribed treatment (I think for tree fruit...but I don't remember exactly) was too heavy...his customers don't demand magazine cover fruit.  He was dropped from the program because he would not use as much of a specific pesticide on a specific crop as the IPM handbook in question recommended.

deknow

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