Fourth National IPM Symposium


Fourth National IPM
Symposium/Workshop
2003



 Session: Images of Sustainable Agriculture: Landscapes, Pest Management and Biotechnology
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Organizer(s):
Graham Head (graham.p.head@monsanto.com)
Rick Hellmich (rlhellmi@iastate.edu)


The following presentations are in this session:

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Scope of land use issues related to agriculture - the really big picture. Fred Kirschenmann


9:30 AM - 9:50 AM Role of biotechnology for sustainable agriculture. Richard L. Hellmich
    Modern agriculture relies on high inputs, including fuel-powered tractors, chemical fertilizers, and chemical pesticides. Today production from a single grower can support about 100 people, a fourteen-fold increase in the last hundred years. Such advances, however, have had high environmental costs and by and large are not sustainable. Sustainable agriculture from a grower’s perspective entails the full use of the natural biological cycles, reducing as much as possible the use of purchased inputs, and reducing the frantic work schedules of many farm families. Developing sustainable approaches to agriculture is one of the most difficult challenges facing growers and scientists today. Since 1996 transgenic plants, especially corn, soybean, and cotton, have become popular with growers in the U.S. In general, insect-resistant crops can lead to reduced chemical input, less polluted water, and maintenance or increase of biodiversity. Herbicide-tolerant crops can lead to the use of safer chemicals, less tillage, reduced soil erosion, and less polluted water. By these measures, biotech crops are important tools for sustainable agriculture



9:50 AM - 10:10 AM Ecological/biodiversity impacts of agricultural practices, and role of new technologies in minimizing or mitigating these impacts. Graham Head


10:10 AM - 10:30 AM Information technology tools for sustainable agriculture. Joe Russo


10:50 AM - 11:10 AM Impacts of Ag Biotech Crops on Secondary Nontarget Pest Control Galen Dively


11:10 AM - 12:15 PM Panel Discussion Fred Kirschenmann ,  Richard L. Hellmich ,  Graham Head ,  Joe Russo ,  and Galen Dively