Nov 12, 2024Almond Board’s AgNeighbors Program boosts pest management through collaboration
The Almond Board of California has piloted a new community-driven initiative, AgNeighbors, to help almond growers tackle their top pest, the navel orangeworm (NOW).
Led by Jesse Roseman, the program focuses on supporting smaller almond operations through area-wide mating disruption, which confuses male NOW using synthetic pheromones.
The Almond Board noted on its website that this collaboration addresses a common challenge: mating disruption methods, which work best over large areas, have primarily benefited larger farms. AgNeighbors connects smaller growers through a mapping system developed with Land IQ, enabling them to jointly implement these practices and boost their collective pest management efforts.
“We wanted small growers to experience the advantages of acting as a large operation,” Roseman said on Almond Board of California’s (ABC) website.
UC Cooperative Extension research has shown that mating disruption can cut NOW damage by up to 78% in 100-acre blocks, underscoring the benefits of a coordinated, large-scale approach, according to the information on ABC’s website.
The AgNeighbors initiative initially received funding from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and additional contributions from the Almond Board.
Success with the pilot led to $2.1 million in further funding, including contributions from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Pollinator Partnership, and the Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES). These partnerships helped expand the program to over 42,000 acres, incorporating multiple environmental goals like reduced insecticide use and improved water quality according to ABC’s website.
“This project showed how agricultural collaboration could achieve both pest control and environmental benefits,” Roseman said on ABC’s website. “Through partnerships, we’ve not only reduced pest damage but also protected pollinators and improved water quality.”
For more information, visit Almond Board of California’s AgNeighbors Program.
