I. Background
The IPM labeling effort that is currently underway in New York was initiated
by the retail food industry. It is a voluntary, non-exclusive effort
that continues to be led by the retail sector of the state's agricultural
and food system. Food retailers as well as other segments of the food
and agricultural industry have requested assistance from Cornell University
and Cornell Cooperative Extension as they move ahead with IPM-labeling.
Their requests have focused on assistance in defining the nature of
IPM practices to support a label, and in educating agricultural producers
on how to adopt those practices in their individual farm businesses.
The first request for assistance came in 1994, when a food retailer
asked the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University
and Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) if there were opportunities
to assist Cornell and CCE in linking the College's science base to sustaining
the future of New York agriculture. These discussions led to the food
retailer's request for an IPM educational outreach program to producers
of fresh-market sweet corn who supplied the food retailer stores in
Rochester, NY. As this collaborative effort developed in the summer
of 1995, the food retailer asked for the use of a pre-existing NYS IPM
logo to be part of its consumer educational effort. The Cornell Research
Foundation, a private arm of Cornell University, secured a trademark
for the NYS IPM logo and became the "owner" of the logo. The
food retailer obtained a non-exclusive license to use the logo, and
sweet corn from IPM demonstration fields was test marketed at one of
the food retailer's stores using the NYS IPM logo. The food retailer
noted a positive response from consumers in this initial phase of the
effort. In the following year the food retailer gained the interest
of a food processor in providing private-labeled IPM products to them.
In 1997 the interest in selling produce with an IPM label spread to
grower organizations and groups within New York. Identifying IPM agricultural
products has now gone beyond the New York borders with IPM grown and
labeled products being identified in many states in the nation.
In order to produce agricultural products labeled under the New York
IPM logo, agricultural producers agree to follow a set of "IPM
elements" as they grow the crop(s) that were to be sold as IPM
grown. Those elements were primarily derived from the IPM science and
technology base at Cornell. IPM elements were first discussed among
growers and Cornell, and then agreed upon through discussions among
all of the participants in the various labeling efforts. To date those
participants include the New York State Berry Growers Association, the
Eden Valley Growers, Wegmans Food Markets, and Comstock Michigan Fruit,
with Cornell serving as the primary resource of IPM knowledge. One part
of the process has been to set yearly adoption goals for IPM practices.
The growers who produce the IPM-labeled crops strive to achieve the
adoption goals. Documentation of the IPM practices that growers follow
is required of each of the grower participants. Those who license the
IPM logo each work with independent third parties to evaluate the growers
documentation and verify that the records support the claims made on
the label.
All promotion of IPM-labeled products has been conducted by private
sector organizations. For example, the food retailer has developed an
awareness campaign that includes in-store brochures, an in-store video,
a column in their weekly advertisement, and radio, TV, and newspaper
articles. Grower organizations have also developed marketing efforts
to help the consumer understand what IPM is all about.
II. Cornell's Role in this Effort
Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the NY State IPM Program, serve as
resources to parties interested in growing products for IPM labeling.
Agricultural producers are provided with opportunities to acquire the
necessary information and education to meet the labeling requirements.
Growers can learn how to practice the elements from IPM manuals, fact
sheets, demonstration projects, and other educational materials. Cornell
Cooperative Extension Educators are also available to demonstrate IPM
methods and assist growers in gaining confidence in IPM methods. The
scientific research base at Cornell has an on-going role of providing
new information on the best methods for managing pests. These IPM methods
may be cultural, chemical, or biological in scope.
The Cornell Research Foundation (CRF) obtained a trademark for the NYS
IPM logo and is the holder of the licensing agreement and the owner
of the NY IPM logo. It is the legal representative of Cornell in matters
relating to the protection of research discoveries, and, in the case
of the IPM labeling, it licenses the logo for a fee through a contract
that addresses labeling claims, promotions, documentation, and educational
requirements. The agreement gives CRF the right to review all promotional
material that licensees propose to use in advertising an IPM-labeled
product. CRF uses the IPM Program staff as resource for answering questions
regarding the licensing agreements, but CRF remains the licensing body.
Requests for the use of the NYS IPM logo are made to CRF.
The New York State IPM Program at Cornell University serves as a resource
to third-party verifiers on IPM practices and methods that can be used
for verification purposes.
The New York State IPM Program at Cornell University participates in
discussions regarding the appropriate roles for Land Grant universities
in IPM labeling efforts nationwide.
III.
IPM Elements, How They are Developed and How They are Used in a Process
that Leads to Labeling
Elements of IPM are developed through interactions between the grower
community and the research and extension base at Cornell. A set of elements
for a given crop describe the state of IPM knowledge and are key to
prioritizing research and extension efforts. Elements are also essential
for the program evaluation and reporting process to state and federal
agencies.
A process that incorporates IPM elements for IPM labeling purposes is
ONLY developed upon a formal request to CRF from some segment of the
agricultural industry. When this happens, the interested parties meet
with Cornell research and extension personnel, and agree upon several
issues including: the elements to be used for labeling purposes, a point
system for the elements, and the percentage of the acreage that needs
to achieve the points in order to qualify for labeling.
In 1997, elements for dry beans, processing tomatoes, greenhouse tomatoes,
fresh cabbage, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and sweet
cherries were established through meetings between grower groups and
Cornell. At these same meetings the parties interested in using elements
for labeling purposes determined the process to be used for qualifying
a crop for labeling purposes.
Also, in 1997, parties interested in IPM labeling met to revise the
process that had been used in previous years to label fresh sweet corn,
processing sweet corn, snap beans, kraut cabbage, beets, carrots, and
peas.
IV. The
Role of Other Parties in IPM labeling
There are different groups and organizations that lead the IPM labeling
effort for each crop. Their roles have evolved over time and are likely
to continue to evolve in the future. The current roles, as perceived
by Cornell, are:
All interested agricultural producers of a crop help define the IPM
elements for the crops they grow and then strive to follow those elements
during the growing season, documenting their efforts as the season progresses.
Food processors help choose the IPM elements for the crops they process.
They work with their growers as the growers strive to follow the elements,
collect grower records for verification purposes, and hire and work
with a third-party verifier to be sure all labeled products meet the
required elements.
Food retailers participate in meetings that choose the IPM elements
for the crops they intend to market. They work with the growers of fresh-market
produce as the growers strive to follow the elements. They collect grower
records for verification purposes, hire and work with a third-party
verifier to be sure all labeled products meet the required elements,
develop IPM consumer education materials, and market IPM to consumers.
Grower organizations or groups help define the IPM elements for the
crops they grow, work with their members as they follow the elements,
collect member records for verification purposes, hire and work with
a third-party verifier to be sure all labeled products meet the required
elements, and work on their own or with food retailers to insure that
IPM-labeled products are properly identified and marketed.
