Integrated pest management: an evaluation of adoption in field crop production

In September 1993, the Clinton Administration announced its commitment to reducing pesticide use and promoting sustainable agriculture through promotion of Integrated Pest Management on U.S. crop acreage. In fact, a goal was set to adopt IPM on 75 percent of the U.S. crop acreage by the year 2000. During the past eight years, the complexities associated with defining IPM and the lack of agreement of what constitutes IPM have resulted in dissimilar assessments in documenting progress to achieve this goal. One complication is the absence of a standardized measurement tool for the adoption of IPM that is applicable across commodities that is adaptable to the needs of multiple agencies. The primary objective of my research was to take an important step towards developing a standardized measurement tool for the adoption of IPM that can be utilized by multiple agencies across different commodities.;The primary objective of my research was to take an important step towards developing a standardized measurement tool for the adoption of IPM that can be utilized by multiple agencies across different commodities. The first subobjective was to evaluate existing measurement devices to develop an appropriate tool with field level applicability. The second subobjective was to demonstrate the use of this tool across state lines with corn, cotton, and soybean production. The third subobjective was to identify the current educational methods and materials being used to disseminate information on Integrated Pest Management.;A standardized measurement tool was developed. This tool is a valid and reliable instrument that can measure the adoption of IPM across state lines with different commodities. As this tool continues to demonstrate it\u27s ability to accurately and precisely measure the adoption of IPM, it will continue to gain prominence as the standardized measurement tool for measuring IPM on U.S. crop acreage