Importance of IPM

The Farm Traveler podcast is all about bridging the gap between farmers and consumers. One topic in farming that usually has a ton of misinformation, is the use of pesticides and other chemicals. Consumers often think pesticides are sprayed constantly and in high doses, which couldn't be further from the truth.

To learn more about the use and science of pesticides, I interviewed Dr. Norman Leppla from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Science. Dr. Leppla outlined a few steps on reducing pest problems.

"The first thing you do is try to prevent the pest in the first place. As a program, we tell people "Right plant, right place." So the first thing is, if you have a pest problem that just won't go away, you might consider replacing that plant with another plant. But if you're a grower and you need to grow a particular grow, maybe you should use crop rotation, or maybe you should get resistant varieties of that crop."

Dr. Leppla also stresses the importance of developing an Integrated Pest Management Plan, of IPM. These plans can help minimize pests before they even begin.

"The best case is to have an IPM plan, so that you identify the risks. Whether they be insects, pathogens, weeds. "

To hear more of my interview with Dr. Leppla, just search for Farm Traveler on your favorite podcast app, or go to [thefarmtraveler.com](http://thefarmtraveler.com)