How to Make an Integrated Pest Management Plan?

Damage caused by pests is one of the biggest problems farmers face as it can lead to significant financial losses. 

For this reason, it is essential to manage pests and limit the impact they have on crops and the wider farming business. 

But with an increase in pesticide resistance and the removal of certain chemicals once used to control pests, putting an effective plan together can be a challenge. 
This is where an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPMP) comes in. 

Instead of looking at individual fields or crops, an IPMP looks at how pests can be managed at the farm level, utilising a number of different tools available to growers. 

In this article, we look at what IPMPs are and how to create one for your farm. 

The Impact of Pests in Farming

However, before we look at what an IPMP is, it’s important to define the key pests in farming and the impact they can cause. 

Generally, pests include insects, weeds, rodents, grazing animals such as hare and deer, and some wild birds such as wood pigeons. 

An infestation or problem with any of these can lead to significant crop damage and the financial losses associated with that. 

The main impacts include: 

• Yield Loss
  Pests can feed on crops and plants causing damage to leaves, stems, fruits and seeds. This reduces the number of plants able to reach maturity and therefore the harvestable yield of the crop. 
• Disease
  Some pests such as aphids don’t cause physical damage to crops but do spread disease, which can significantly impair crop health, yield and quality. 
• Financial
  The reduction in yield or crop quality due to pests is likely to lead to significant financial costs for farmers. Pests can also target stored grain, causing contamination issues and further financial loss.
• Resistance
  Over time, pests can become resistant to control treatments, chemicals and other interventions. This means seeking for alternatives which can be more expensive or less effective.
• Equipment and Machinery
  Rodents in particular can cause major damage to equipment and machinery by gnawing through wire and cables. Often, this is only discovered when the machine is needed, leading to delays in getting jobs done and expensive repairs. 
  
  
  

What is an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPMP)?

So, how do you prevent pests damaging your business? 
An IPMP is often the best way.
 
An IPMP is an approach to controlling pests, weeds and diseases which is sustainable both for the farm business and the environment. 

Rather than just relying on pesticides, an IPMP uses a range pest control measures to optimise effectiveness. 

Activity can include planning the crop rotation to reduce pest burden on future crops, encouraging natural predators on to the farm, opting for pest and disease resistant varieties of crops, using traps, and regularly checking and cleaning machines and equipment to ensure there is no damage. 

By plotting all these approaches across the entire farm, major cost and labour efficiencies can be found, potentially creating higher margins on farm and freeing up staff to be more productive. 

Importance of an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPMP) in Sustainable Agriculture

An IPMP is a crucial component of sustainable agriculture because it reduces the reliance on pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that can have detrimental impacts on wildlife and biodiversity. 

Therefore, incorporating an IPMP into your future planning can produce a number of benefits for a farming business. 

For example, reducing the reliance on pesticides can help farmers cut significant costs from the business, leading to higher margins for crop production. 

Over time, this can lead to an increase in soil microbe activity and overall soil health, which promotes healthy, high-yielding crops. 

Encompassing machinery checks into an IPMP will also limit repair and maintenance bills associated with damage by rodents. 

But beyond this, a comprehensive IPMP enables farmers to plan their approach to pest management, rather than simply be reactive to when damage or an infestation occurs. It puts the power back in the farmer’s hands, leading to better preparation and better farm outcomes. 

How to Create Your Own Integrated Pest Management Plan

So, how do you create an IPMP? 

There are various apps, software systems and online platforms available to help you build an IPMP. Whichever one you choose, however, they should enable you to record the following as a minimum: 

• Location
  Set out the location of your land, size and type. Note down the crops you grow, details of any rotation, cover crops and current pest methods.
  It is a good idea to list what you want to achieve from the plan. Is it to improve a certain crop yield? Eliminate a certain pest? Reduce chemical use?
  Whichever it is, include this in your IPMP. 
• Identify Pests
  Make a note of current pest issues including the type of pest, any sightings and the effect they are having on crops, plants or even machines, equipment and property. 
• Control measures
  An Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPMP) should also state the methods you choose to tackle pest problems.
  These could be mechanical weeding and hand weeding, use of barriers such as netting, introducing a predatory species, etc. 
  If you do choose to use chemical pesticides, it should be the minimum dose required, and as infrequently as possible, and a targeted application to lessen negative impact.
  The control measures should also take into consideration the level of infestation and the growing stage of the crop. 
• Results
  After implement the control measures, it is critical to record the results as this will determine if it is necessary to update or alter an IPMP for the future. 
  
  

Summary

Pests can be a huge problem on farms and if not addressed may lead to crop damage, financial losses, and negative impacts on biodiversity, wildlife and the environment.

Adopting an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPMP) is a sustainable way to manage pests that minimises damage to the environment and can save the farmer money. 

By adopting a whole-farm approach that includes biological approaches to managing pests, an IPMP can help support healthy crop development, tackle pesticide resistance, encourage natural control, enhance wildlife and biodiversity and allow the farmer to have more control over decision-making and actions on farm.

Ultimately, this should lead to higher margins for crop production due to reduced spending on pesticides and machinery and equipment maintenance.

RHIZA Digital Farming Knowledge Hub - Practical Guides and Insights

For those looking to explore the detail, we’ve created a growing library of technical guides covering soil performance, crop monitoring, compliance and precision decision support.