By Jenny Marie Lawrence
Squash bugs, aphids, wilt and mildew can quickly undo months of work in the garden. To help growers protect their crops, Harvick Farms partnered with the Lincoln University of Missouri (LU) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program to host the Know Your Pests and Diseases workshop.
The event took place at Harvick Farms in Southeast Missouri, drawing 18 participants from Barry, McDonald and Cole counties. Attendees included local farmers, gardeners and university specialists for practical learning and discussion.
Located in Barry County, Harvick Farms began four years ago and has since grown into a site for food production and community education. The farm offers consultations and classes on composting, growing food, preserving harvests and more.
“We asked our community what they most wanted to learn, and pests and diseases came up repeatedly,” said Lainey Harvick, who leads Harvick Farms. “People want to know how to fight back against what’s destroying their gardens. That’s why this partnership with Lincoln University has been so valuable.”
Harvick Farms connected with Lincoln University specialists through Lesa Queen, a field staff member with LU’s Innovative Small Farmers’ Outreach Program (ISFOP). The workshop featured presentations from Dr. Anitha Chitturi, LU assistant professor and state extension specialist for the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, and Dr. Waana Kaluwasha, LU assistant professor of plant pathology and researcher.
Chitturi’s session focused on insect identification and sharing targeted strategies to prevent crop damage. She discussed the biology and life cycles of pests, highlighting how each pest affects cucurbit crops such as squash, cucumbers and zucchini and the signs growers should watch for during the season.
Participants also learned about practical monitoring tools like yellow sticky traps to detect crop pests, as well as scouting techniques to identify early infestations in the field.
“Regular monitoring and scouting are critical for early detection, and timing is everything,” Chitturi said. “Acting early can make a big difference in protecting crops.”
Chitturi emphasized cultural practices such as field sanitation, planting trap crops like Blue Hubbard squash to lure pests away from main crops and using row covers to protect young plants from egg-laying insects. For gardeners seeking organic options, she recommended crop rotation to disrupt pest life cycles and spray applications such as insecticidal soap and neem oil for mitigating pests.
Source : lincolnu.edu