1999 Integrated Pest Management Annual Report

Illinois Crop Protection Technology Conference

The Illinois Crop Protection Technology Conference, through a couple of name changes, has been held annually at the University of Illinois for more than 50 years.

Conceived by Pete Petty, the first Illinois Custom Spray Operators Training School was held in January 1949. The school was intended for agricultural pesticide applicators, a burgeoning industry at the time. The objective was to promote the safe, timely, and judicious use of pesticides in agriculture, within a framework of pest management. The school quickly became so popular that it was moved onto campus. In 1987, the name became the Illinois Agricultural Pesticides Conference, to reflect the more modern content of the program, with a greater focus on current issues in agriculture and the environment. The 1998 conference was the 50th anniversary, with a theme of ?50 Years of Serving Agriculture and the Environment.? In 1999, the name was changed to the Illinois Crop Protection Technology Conference, again to reflect the content of the program more accurately and to accommodate the rapidly expanding biotechnology industry.

The Illinois Crop Protection Technology Conference is a multi-disciplinary conference for leaders in the agricultural industry. Speakers include University of Illinois Extension and research specialists in entomology, plant pathology, weed science, and agricultural engineering. Pest management experts from other states, as well as regulatory and environmental authorities from Illinois and elsewhere, are invited to participate every year. The conference is sponsored by University of Illinois Extension in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. Additional support for the conference is provided by the Illinois Natural History Survey, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association. About 1,000 people from Illinois and surrounding states attend the conference annually.

Topics discussed during the conference address many scientific issues, including the mode of action, degradation, and interaction of pesticides; management issues related to agricultural pests, alternative control measures, decision-making thresholds, and risk assessment; environmental concerns such as pesticide contamination of ground water and public water supplies; and legislative and regulatory issues. More recently, the use of transgenic crops in agricultural pest management has been a featured focus during the conference. The program provides an annual forum for educating agricultural clientele within Illinois, the Midwest, and the nation.

Contacts: Kevin Steffey, ksteffey@uiuc.edu, Crop Sciences Mike Gray, m-gray4@uiuc.edu, Crop Sciences

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