A one-day Integrated Pest Management training school will be held March 21 at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture's Research and Education Center in Princeton. The event will from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m and is sponsored by UK's IPM Program.

As always, pest identification will be a major part of the training sessions. Weed, insect, and disease problems of corn, soybeans, small grains and alfalfa will be covered. An update of pest problems in Kentucky also will be discussed.

Actual weeds and insects will be used during the training to allow participants to get a firsthand look at what pests they may encounter.

WeedMAK II, a computer program designed to assist farmers in weed management for Kentucky crops, will be demonstrated by J.D. Green and Michael Marshall, Extension weed scientists.

"This training is designed to help people learn to identify their pests and problems," Patty Lucas, Extension IPM specialist at Princeton, said. "We want to teach them to time their treatments so they are the most effective and cost efficient with the chemicals they use."

During the first hour of the annual program, participants will choose between two sessions: Introduction to Scouting or Advanced Scouting.

The introduction session will teach site selection and the basic techniques for scouting corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and small grains. It is designed for participants who have never scouted a field.

The advanced session is for those who have attended previous IPM training schools and are experienced scouts. The session will include the WeedMak II demonstration.

Advance registration is not required and the meeting is free of charge to the public.

Every attendee with receive a set of IPM manuals and also a pocket guide for corn and soybeans The program has been accredited for 5.5 CEU's for Certified Crop Advisor - 3 in IPM, 2 in crop management and 1.5 in nutrient management.

For additional information, contact Patty Lucas at (270) 365-7541, ext. 218 or e-mail her at plucas@ca.uky.edu.