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  2. CPS 595 Pest Management Conservation System

This training series provides an introduction to the knowledge, skills, and abilities to plan, design, and certify Pest Management Conservation Systems (CPS 595). Additional training may be needed.

CPS 595 Job Approval Authority Fact Sheet

Skill
Practice Specific
Source

TTCP

Training Type
Online Learning
Notes

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. Knowledge of crops, grazing, and forestry production systems for the geographic area
2. Ability to use the current Pesticide Screening tool (WIN-PST)

  • Using WIN-PST for Conservation Planning

    • This course introduces you to the Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST). You will learn what the tool is and how to run it. You will also learn how to interpret reports it generates and how they can be used when working with clients. You’ll also see how using this tool fits in the Nine Steps of Conservation Planning.

3. Ability to use Current Wind and Water Erosion Prediction Tools

  • Erosion 101

    • This training module focuses on the types of erosion and the resource concerns associated with erosion.  It orients participants to the types and processes of soil erosion to prepare them to utilize the current soil erosion models - RUSLE2 and WEPS.   

  • Water Erosion Prediction with RUSLE2

    • This course provides an overview of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), and instructions on how to use the RUSLE2 model to estimate sheet and rill erosion.

  • Wind Erosion Prediction with WEPS

    • This course provides an overview of the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), and instructions on how to use the WEPS model to estimate wind erosion.

4. Completion of the initial Pest Management training technical assistance with supervision

  • On the Job Training

5. Completion of the Pest Management course

  • Pest Management, Track 2, Part 1

    • This training course introduces NRCS' mission in the nutrient and pest management arena and how it relates to the RMS planning process. It also identifies regulatory requirements and partnership roles that help to define that mission. It provides the participant with a basic understanding of the science of nutrient and pest management, as well as environmental concerns associated with the use of nutrients and pest management measures, including environmental risk, and the processes that affect the fate and transport of nutrients and pesticides in the environment. Also covered are climate and water management planning considerations and their practical aspects as they relate to nutrient and pest management. The course contains a video that illustrates the challenges of pest and nutrient management. After successful completion of the self-paced Modules 1 - 6, participants will use exercises and assessment tools in a facilitated session to reinforce and apply important concepts. The participant will prepare a nutrient and/or pest management component of a RMS plan to complete the training.

6. Have a current Pest Management Applicator license as required by law in the state of practice

  • Only applicable to pesticide applicators

Practice Specific Training
Other Training Opportunities

  • CORE 4 Pest Management Technical References 

    • (Time: will vary)  Basic overview of pest management principles.  Materials concentrate on assessing environmental risks of pest management alternatives.

  • Hot Topics in Weed Management:  Putting the pieces together

    • With the multitude of crop herbicide resistant trait packages available, chemical weed control has become more complicated, especially as herbicide resistant weeds continue to cause management challenges.  A good understanding of weed biology and trait package options along with results from field trials implementing chemical and non-chemical methods will help you get the most out of your weed management investment.

  • Herbicide Trait Technology: What to Use When, Where and How

    • Where does it make most sense to use certain herbicide tolerance traits? What are some of the things you should consider when using them? Learn more in this discussion with Dr. Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed scientist and Dr. Tom Peters, Extension sugarbeet agronomist.

  • Nutrient and Pest Management Equipment

    • This short course looks at application equipment you may see in corn and soybean producing areas.

  • Nutrient and Pest Management Equipment

    • This short course looks at application equipment you may see in corn and soybean producing areas.

  • High Tunnel System

    •  This video is about a high tunnel that was built in St. Paul Minnesota by Urban Roots during the summer of 2018 with financial and technical assistance from USDA/NRCS. Urban Roots has been growing vegetables on the East Side of St. Paul for 20 years. This years planted crops include cucumbers, peppers, and ginger. This video demonstrates the step-by-step procedure for building a high tunnel in an urban setting. The advantages and methods for growing vegetables, including pest management in a high tunnel system, are discussed. (10 minutes, 39 seconds)

  • Your Insect Allies: Meet the Beneficial Insects that Control Crop Pests and Promote Soil Health

    • Join Karin Jokela, Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society, to get to know some of the most common beneficial insects above and below ground. We will cover habitat planning to promote natural enemies and beneficial soil invertebrates, basic identification and ecology, as well as simple monitoring techniques to help farmers, land managers, and gardeners assess existing populations.

  • Pest Management From an Ecological Framework

    • No-till, cover crops, and diverse rotations are well known practices that can improve soil health. While they improve soil quality, these practices can simultaneously help build robust populations of soil invertebrates, including predatory species that can be allies in pest control. Unfortunately, many farmers trying to improve soil health appear to be inadvertently handicapping their farming systems by overusing pesticides, particularly insecticides and fungicides. Fortunately, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) provides an established economic framework for deploying pesticides as necessary. Our research suggests that incorporating IPM alongside other soil health practices maximizes the potential for farm fields to better withstand pest invasion while diminishing the potential for pesticides to degrade benefits provided by soil health practices.

 

Minnesota Guidance: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

Planning, Design, and Certification Phases

Job Class I (Drift)

1. Read and understand the Conservation Practice Standard (CPS 595), Implementation Requirements (IR), and Statement of Work (SOW)
2. Read and understand USDA-NRCS GM-190-404 Pest Management Policy 
3. Ability to document IPM/PAMS activities
4. Knowledge of Mitigation Techniques needed for Drift from National AGR-TN-5 Pest Management in the  Conservation Planning Process
5. Complete a PMCS plan using 595 MN IR (Additional Criteria Requirement not required). (Plan will be reviewed by ARC; planner must demonstrate understanding of PAMS techniques)
6. Ability to find information on a pesticide label related to Environmental Hazards and Active Ingredients

Job Class II (Surface Runoff) and III (Leaching)

1. Knowledge of pesticide (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.) used in Minnesota agriculture, forests, conservation land and associated ag land to properly interview producers on use
2. Ability to calculate Active Ingredients (A.I.) applied per acre
3. Ability to plan Mitigation Techniques needed for surface and ground water from national AGR-TN-5
4. Complete a pest management plan using 595 MN IR including all requirements for Additional Criteria. (Plan will be reviewed by ARC; planner must demonstrate understanding of PAMS techniques and mitigation practices/techniques)

Job Class IV (Beneficial Organisms)

1. Ability to plan Mitigation Techniques needed for beneficial organisms from national AGR-TN-9

Job Class V (All)

1. Understanding of limiting factors in organic cropping systems and use of pest management strategies common in Minnesota
  • Beating the Weeds Without Herbicides: Soil-Friendly Organic Weed Management

    • Join us for this webinar during which we will discuss weed management in organic agriculture and highlight soil friendly approaches to help maintain sufficient weed suppression and satisfactory organic yields. Weeds pose the #1 production hurdle to successful organic farming, and organic producers continually seek to optimize their weed management system for both soil health and production. This webinar will describe an ecological approach to integrated organic weed management including preventive measures based on the four NRCS principles of soil health, managing nutrients and moisture to favor crops over weeds, choosing weed-competitive crops and cultivars, and a diverse toolbox of weed control tactics that reduce the need for cultivation. Together, these practices can minimize the impacts of organic weed management on soil life and soil structure while maintaining sufficient weed suppression and satisfactory organic yields.

Related Practices & Terms

Integrated, Pest Management, Pest, IPM, 595