A Proposal for Public and Private Partnership in Extension.

Public funding for Extension in the United States has been decreasing for many years, but farmers' need for robust information on which to make management decisions has not diminished. The current Extension funding challenges provide motivation to explore a different model for developing and delivering extension. The private sector has partnered with the public sector to fund and conduct agricultural research, but partnering on extension delivery has occurred far less frequently. The fundamental academic strength and established Extension network of the public sector combined with the ability of the private sector to encourage and deliver practical, implementable solutions has the potential to provide measurable benefits to farmers. This paper describes the current Extension climate, presents data from a survey about Extension and industry relationships, presents case studies of successful public- and private-sector extension partnerships, and proposes a framework for evaluating the state of effective partnerships. Synergistic public-private extension efforts could ensure that farmers receive the most current and balanced information available to help with their management decisions.

Potential of suction traps as a monitoring tool for Aphis glycines (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in soybean fields.

The current study evaluated the potential of using counts of winged adults captured in suction traps to forecast the local abundance of soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., fields. The abundance of aphids was evaluated weekly by sampling plants in four to 11 soybean fields and recording the number of aphids in suction traps between 2006 and 2008 in four counties in Indiana and Illinois. Fields in each county were located within 10 km of their respective suction trap, which allowed us to evaluate the relation between aphid abundance on soybean plants and in suction traps at the county level. Migrant soybean aphids caught in suction traps exhibited distinct seasonal trends each year: in 2006, trapped migrants consisted predominantly of individuals dispersing from soybean to buckthorn (Rhamnus sp.); in 2007, in contrast, the majority of trapped migrants were apparently individuals dispersing among soybean fields. The cumulative number of aphids captured in suction traps was positively related to aphid densities on soybean plants. However, the utility of suction traps as a monitoring tool may be limited by the variation in temporal patterns observed in suction traps and on soybean plants each year, and the spatial variation in aphid abundance among soybean fields within a county.

Biotechnology and the European corn borer: measuring historical farmer perceptions and adoption of transgenic Bt corn as a pest management strategy.

A 3-yr, multi-state survey of farmers who had planted transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn was conducted to evaluate perceptions of Bt corn performance and its utility as a management option for European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner). A questionnaire was sent to farmers in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania who had grown Bt corn during the growing seasons of 1996, 1997, or 1998. There were 7,427 usable questionnaires returned with the following response percentages: 1996 (42.1%), 1997 (35.0%), and 1998 (22.6%). Adoption rates, based on percentage of acreage planted to Bt corn, increased dramatically from 1996 (10.5%) to 1998 (40.7%). The states growing the highest percentage of Bt corn were Minnesota, Iowa, and then Nebraska However, Illinois, was adopting Bt corn at the fastest rate. Historical use of insecticides did not influence the adoption of Bt corn. In addition, of those farmers who used insecticides to control European corn borer, the percentage that decreased their use of insecticides nearly doubled from 13.2% (1996) to 26.0% (1998) over this 3-yr period. The primary reason farmers planted Bt corn was to eliminate the yield loss caused by European corn borer. Scouting for European corn borers decreased from 91% (scouting 2.2 times a year) in 1996 to 75% (scouting 1.8 times a year) in 1998. The percentage of farmers not scouting for European corn borers increased from 9.6% (1996) to 25% (1998). Most farmers believed yields of Bt hybrids were either similar to or greater than the yields of non-Bt hybrids. Minnesota farmers perceived the greatest yield advantages. Farmers are becoming more aware of insect resistance management guidelines; however, they also clearly show preferences for having the flexibility to use different spatial plantings of Bt and non-Bt corn. Finally, after having planted Bt corn and obtained excellent control of European corn borer, most farmers believed that this insect had been causing more yield loss than they previously had suspected in their non-Bt corn. The data represented here provide an historical foundation for how transgenic Bt corn was used by farmers during the first 3 yr of commercial availability, their initial perceptions on the performance of this technology, and their attitudes regarding management of the European corn borer.