Trainings in Spanish for Mushroom Growers

Online, April 5, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Penn State educators are conducting presentations in Spanish for mushroom growers in Pennsylvania.

At a recent meeting in Kennett Square, Pa., Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch, PA IPM's Latino Coordinator; Mena Hautau, Penn State extension educator; Katie Poppitti, Penn State 4H and mushroom extension educator; David Beyer, professor of plant pathology at Penn State; and other Penn State educators presented topics on personal protective equipment, best management practices and the fundamentals of IPM.

IPM, or integrated pest management, aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible. Mushroom growing lends itself naturally to IPM, it is one of the few forms of agriculture in which the crop is grown inside climate-controlled buildings so that pests can be excluded. This control measure is unavailable to farmers of field crops, who have little control over pest invasions.

"The meeting was very well received," said Gorgo-Gourovitch. "This is the second training we've conducted for Spanish-speaking mushroom growers. Each training offers licensed pesticide applicators core and category credits for attending."

Trainings for mushroom growers are in high demand because Pennsylvania is the number one producer of mushrooms in the United States with more than 250 farms producing the common button mushroom. Penn State is also a national leader for mushroom IPM, influencing growers with over 80 years of IPM research and extension activities.

Additionally, the need for IPM information for Hispanics in agricultural settings is also increasing. As reported in the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2007 Census, Hispanics claim the highest rate of new farmers in the nation. The number of Hispanic operators grew 14 percent from 2002, significantly out pacing the seven percent increase of U.S. farm operators overall. Spanish is predominantly the native language of over 80 percent of farm workers. Gorgo-Gourovitch adds, "We will be conducting more trainings in Spanish, including one in the fall, to meet the growing demand."

The American Mushroom Institute (AMI) is sponsoring the training programs. For more information on AMI, go to http://www.americanmushroom.org/.

The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and urban settings. For more information, contact the program at 814-865-2839, or go to www.paipm.org.