Reprinted with permission of GazetteNET © 2001 Daily Hampshire Gazette

Budget hits UMass pest program

Five employees will receive layoff notices, and several more will see their hours cut, said William Coli, director of the IPM program. The program and its employees are part of the University of Massachusetts Extension, which suffered severe cuts in 1989 and again in the early 1990s.

"We are overseeing the demise of all that I have worked for since 1979," said William Coli, director of the Integrated Pest Management program at the University of Massachusetts. "I can't tell you how frustrating all of this is, all for the want of $250,000."

Coli said he heard from state Sen. Stan Rosenberg on Monday that it is unlikely a supplemental budget will restore the funds.

Mindful of the public interest in organic produce, commercial growers are seeking ways to reduce pesticide use while maintaining high quality. Integrated pest management relies on cultural and biological methods, instead of chemicals, as the first line of defense against insect, disease and weed pests. Chemical pesticides with low toxicity to humans are recommended only as a last resort.

"IPM adoption in Massachusetts is higher than in any state in the country and has been for years," Coli reported.

UMass researchers have gained national recognition for their IPM work. Professor Ronald Prokopy developed the red sticky ball that monitors the apple maggot, a major pest of apple orchards. He is perfecting his trap to provide more effective control, Coli said. His work is now in jeopardy because funding won't be available to hire graduate students to check results in local orchards during the summer months.

At the same time, the Environmental Protection Agency is banning guthion, the primary commercial chemical control of apple maggot, Coli said.

Since 1983, the IPM program at UMass has been funded jointly by the federal and state government, with state money often used for the matching funds required by federal grants. Massachusetts provided $250,000 last year while the United States Department of Agriculture spent $112,000.

"My salary is secure because of the federal funding," said Coli, who added that federal funds also cover the cost of a bookkeeper and many supplies. However, his job will change radically since there will be less to coordinate.

Hardest hit by the state budget cut are the cranberry and fruit programs, with some reductions in vegetable IPM. Two people have been laid off from the Cranberry Station in East Wareham and three in Amherst. A planned summer 2002 project monitoring diseases of squash and pumpkins on large farms along the Route 495 corridor will be canceled, Coli said.

UMass faculty positions aren't threatened, but layoffs affect professional and technical staff as well as summer employees, Coli said.

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