2006 and 2005 Program Accomplishments
In October of 2006, a stakeholder meeting was held in Kentucky to determine the needs of Kentucky's
agriculture system. Information was obtained from attendees and is currently posted on
a web page which is available for
public viewing. A stakeholder input webpage
was created for Tennessee in 2005 and priorities are also listed for 2006-07. Information has been submitted by several Tennessee stakeholders
and information concerning topics of
concern may be viewed via the web. Three crop profiles were completed for Tennessee in 2006. Information
concerning bramble, soybean and hay production and pest management is now available at the regional site located at http://www.sripmc.org/rese_profiles.cfm.
In July 2004, the USDA funded the creation of Tennessee's Pest Management Information Network. With funding, the Newtwork was able to establish and respond quickly to information needs in both the public and private sectors.
Information provided by Tennessee's network will help USDA and its partner institutions identify, prioritize,
and coordinate a national pest management research, extension, and education program to be implemented on a
regional basis. Tennessee's most basic function was to develop and maintain a state pest management information
network that will contribute to environmentally and economically sound pest management decisions. The network
serves two major purposes: to facilitate communication among key groups of people, and to provide these groups
with broad access to pest management information. Tennessee’s Pest Management Information Network will
continue to assist the Southern Region in its efforts to conduct these functions. Several crop pest profiles
were completed during 2004. These included: strawberries, alfalfa, field corn and pepper production.
Tennessee has assisted the SRIPMC by connecting a diverse array of people who have an interest in pest
management policy and implementation throughout the US. These include pest management users (farmers,
nurserymen, park and turf managers, building superintendents, pest control operators, homeowners,
gardeners, and others), consumer and environmental groups, governmental regulatory agencies, researchers,
and educators. Communications channels will be effective only if all parties can consistently access the
same reliable information. Research-based information is essential to our ability to make sound pest
management decisions in any context, from a backyard garden to national regulatory offices. Tennessee
is working with the support of PMCs and USDA, by contributing to building a comprehensive database that
eventually will hold all kinds of scientifically tested pest management information. This database will
be available on the World Wide Web for use by everyone.
Funding for the national network of Pest Management Centers was authorized by Section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998.
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