The right information at the right time. Members of the team are Extension field staff and faculty representing more than seven MSU departments. Our county-based agents know the status of crops development and pest outbreaks in their region. Through conference telephone calls, agents meet with the faculty on their team to discuss current pest concerns. Based on these discussions, faculty write newsletter articles with advice for managing current pest and crop conditions.
Agents write regional reports on crop development and pest management tactics for local conditions.
Our newsletters are written, formatted, printed and mailed within 48 hours of the conference call. With Internet access, you can view the newsletter on your computer screen within about 24 hours of the start of our production. We look at conditions in surrounding states, data on trends from past years, insect trap catches, forecasting tools and the reports of our agricultural meteorologist to predict what your pest management needs will be. The newsletter articles respond to current outbreaks and recommend long-term preventative actions. Our recommendations include resistance management and the protection of beneficial organisms.