ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Farmers who want to harness nature to control insect pests will want to attend a field day near Moorhead this Saturday, June 14.
Noreen and Lee Thomas received funds from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Sustainable Agricultural Demonstration program for a three year project to establish beneficial insect habitat along field borders and evaluate its impact on insect pests. The Thomases farm about 1,200 certified organic acres, growing small grains, soybeans, alfalfa, and other crops.
"With this project, we are testing how well living borders around our fields attract and provide long-term habitat for beneficial insects, create biological diversity within our crop-ping system, and serve as a buffer between our certified organic fields and neighbors'
conventional land," Noreen Thomas said. "We are using native plants, perennials, grasses, and forage plants, and counting beneficial as well as pest insects."
The Thomases established the buffer strips in 2006 and began weekly "sweeps" in 2007 to capture and count the number of beneficial insects, as well as the number of crop pests. Noreen reports that so far, alyssum, native grasses, tall grasses, and wildflowers have shown the best results. Thomas is concerned that alfalfa, while it could be used as an income-generating crop, attracted more crop pests than desired insects.
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This field day will include tours of the beneficial insect habitat project and is part of a larger "Going Green - a Day on the Farm"
event the Thomases have been hosting for three years. Attendees will also find plenty of hands-on opportunities to learn about greening your lawn naturally, how trees can help curb your energy costs and the latest ideas to save money and protect the environment.
The Field Day is Saturday, June 14 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. A $15 registration fee ($35 for families) includes a locally provided lunch.
Pre-registration is required. Call Noreen Thomas at 218-233-8066.
(Directions from Moorhead: Take Highway 75 north to Kragness. Turn right on County Road 96 and go 2 1/2 miles. Look for field day signs.
