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IPM CAPs Benefit Cooperative Extension

• Fosters on-farm conservation practices by providing growers financial assistance for developing an Integrated Pest Management Conservation Activity Plan (IPM CAP) for their farm.
  
  
• Establishes working and communication linkages between growers, you, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Technical Service Providers (TSPs) and others.
  
  
• Creates an opportunity for you to help shape the IPM CAP program in your state by participating on an IPM CAP program development team.
  
  
• Provides a business opportunity for Extension should you become an IPM CAP-certified TSP and write plans for growers.

What is an IPM CAP?

• An Integrated Pest Management Conservation Activity Plan (IPM CAP) identifies ways your farm can adopt or improve conservation practices, especially related to pest management.
  
• An IPM CAP might describe how to reduce or eliminate pesticide run-off risk to a nearby water body, eliminate high drift potential due to sprayer type or nozzle configuration, improve inefficient water use and more.
  
  
• Written by a third-party, certified Technical Service Provider (TSP) for a grower in any state. More information below.

Ways for Extension to Get Involved:

1. Request that your state offer IPM CAPs. Contact your state NRCS office to determine if NRCS offers IPM CAPs in your state. If not, express your interest and support for the program. States must choose by December 18, 2009 which CAPs they will offer. Mail, email and/or fax a written request to your State Conservationist to offer IPM CAPs.
   
   
2. Become an IPM CAP-certified TSP. If your state offers IPM CAPs, you can become certified to write them. Individuals interested in becoming certified to write IPM CAPs must receive training online through the NRCS's AgLearn website or through other training opportunities specific to CAPs, and pass a series of required exams.

   A IPM CAP-writer training workshop will be held on January 19, 2010 in Orlando, Florida in conjunction with the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants annual meeting. For more information, visit the working group's Training page.
   

3. Work with NRCS and others to develop your state's IPM CAP program. Contact your state NRCS office to inform them of your support of the CAPs program and offer NRCS your help with establishing adequate cost-share rates, developing and hosting training workshops and conducting outreach in your state.
   
   Read the To-Do List for Developing an IPM CAP Program document for more information on how you can participate on your state's IPM CAP program development team.
   
   
4. Conduct outreach to growers and crop consultants. If your state offers IPM CAPs, IPM CAP-certified TSPs are needed to meet growers' requests for developing a plan. Raising growers' and crop consultants' awareness of this opportunity will greatly impact the success of the program.

This working group is developing outreach materials you may use or adapt to target your contacts and clients. Check the Resources page for up-to-date materials.

Additional Consideration:

Hold a training workshop for prospective IPM CAPs TSPs. One of the biggest challenges during the CAPs 2009 pilot year was to find TSPs who were trained to write the plans. Extension has experience and often the facilities to coordinate and host a training workshop for individuals interested in becoming certified.

The National IPM CAPs Working Group is developing a TSP IPM CAP training curriculum. A draft curriculum is available here. Please note that each line item meets a minimum requirement for certifying TSPs and should be retained if you choose to adapt this curriculum to meet additional needs in your state.

Cooperative Extension Resources:
Connecticut NRCS. 2006. Cooperative Agreement sample. Sample of a cooperative agreement NRCS could form between Extension, conservation districts, public agencies, etc. 17pp. (doc)

IPM CAPs certification training opportunities.

National IPM CAPs Working Group. Nov. 2009. Guide to Becoming an IPM CAP-Certified TSP. 3pp. (PDF)

National IPM CAPs Working Group. Request Letter to NRCS State Conservationist. Nov. 2009. 5pp. (doc) Containing:

• Introductory message regarding the need to support IPM CAPs in your state,
• letter of request to offer IPM CAPs to your state conservationist and
• NRCS state conservationist contact information, listed by state.

National IPM CAPs Working Group. Nov. 2009 To-Do List for Developing an IPM CAP Program. 3pp. (PDF)

National IPM CAPs Working Group. Oct. 2009. Draft of TSP IPM CAPs Training Curriculum. To be used for training current and prospective Technical Service Providers to become IPM CAPs certified. (PDF)

Natural Resources Conservation Service contact site to find your state NRCS office: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/organization/regions.html

Natural Resources Conservation Service TechReg website. Provides information on how to become a Technical Service Provider - http://techreg.usda.gov/TSPApplicationIntro.aspx, and how to register as a TSP Business - http://techreg.usda.gov/BusApplicationIntro.aspx