Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Animal Products: dairy

• Animals: bovine

Target Pests

• Target Pests: parasites

Practices

• Pest Management: biological control, cultural control, economic threshold, habitat modification, monitoring/scouting, prevention

• Animal Production: grazing management, parasite control, preventive practices, rangeland/pasture management, stocking rate

• Soil Management: soil quality/health

Pest and parasite management represents a significant challenge for cattle producers in the Northeast. Clinical disease is usually prevented through the routine application of systemic and topical endectocides, however the economic impact of subclinical parasitism remains significant and can be a considerable problem for organic producers wishing to raise cattle without chemical inputs. Further costs associated with routine treatment include the development of resistance, resulting in treatment failure, and off-target environmental impacts on beneficial pasture insects such as dung beetles, parasitoid wasps and predatory flies. Stakeholders in the Northeast have identified priorities for research to enhance management of pest flies and internal parasites on pastures, particularly organically approved methods which do not rely on routine treatment. This project will address these priorities under the IPM and Organic Systems signature program by designing experiments to build knowledge of livestock pest and parasite biology and environmental interactions on pastures, beneficial insect biodiversity, and soil health in relation to IPM compared to conventional practice. It will then evaluate the perceived high cost of practice of IPM adoption by taking a natural capital approach that optimizes the economic and ecological trade-offs, using a partial budget simulation model. This will document and demonstrate the impacts of IPM on cattle pest and parasite management, beneficial insects, and soil health. It will produce an IPM toolbox for cattle producers and improve cost-benefit analysis of IPM adoption to facilitate decision making. Anticipated impacts include increasing knowledge and confidence of IPM techniques, a regional reduction in routine chemical treatment, and improved pastureland insect biodiversity and soil health.

Objective 1: Assess patterns of cattle pest and parasite management inputs and perceptions of environmental, social and economic costs and benefits Outcomes: Establish diverse perspectives on the strengths and weaknesses of current management, and opportunities/priorities for developing relevant IPM strategies Impact: Identifies gaps in knowledge, research and practice that prevent IPM adoption

Objective 2: Quantify pest and parasite populations, beneficial insect decomposer biodiversity, soil health and ecosystem services in relation to IPM management inputs on farms Outcomes: Document and demonstrate the impacts and outcomes of IPM on cattle pest and parasite management, beneficial insects, and soil health. Produce an IPM toolbox for cattle producers. Impacts: Increased knowledge and confidence of IPM techniques, regional reduction in routine chemical treatment on dairy farms, improved pastureland insect biodiversity and soil health.

Objective 3: Evaluate the perceived high cost of practice of IPM adoption by taking a natural capital approach that optimizes the economic and ecological trade-offs Outcomes: Improved cost-benefit analysis of IPM adoption for cattle producers to facilitate decision making Impacts: Increased knowledge of the short- and long-term economic, social and environmental impacts of IPM adoption