Fighting Pests with IPM in Southeast Missouri Farms

By Blake Jackson

When pests pose a threat to crops, fast, informed action is vital. This season, farmers in Southeast Missouri reported pest-related crop damage, prompting a collaborative response grounded in science, sustainability, and education.

Lincoln University Cooperative Extension’s (LUCE) Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, led by State Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor Dr. Anitha Chitturi, stepped in to provide in-field evaluations and offer science-backed pest control strategies to growers in Poplar Bluff, Cape Girardeau, and New Madrid.

“This kind of hands-on outreach highlights the mission of Lincoln University’s IPM program to serve growers through practical, research-based pest solutions and offering timely support,” says Dr. Chitturi. “By combining field visits with education, we’re reinforcing long-term, sustainable practices.”

South Side Farms, a nonprofit in Cape Girardeau, hosted a demonstration focused on yellow sticky traps an essential tool in monitoring pest activity. This visit built on last year’s successful collaboration between the farm and LU’s IPM team, which assisted in addressing a major pest infestation. This season, weekly visits continue with pest monitoring, data collection, and crop-specific advice.

Wanting to broaden the initiative’s impact, South Side Farms Executive Director Maurice Theriot invited Michael J. Johnson, horticulture instructor at Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, to bring his students and local farmers to participate.

“We have worked with South Side Farms for over two years,” said Johnson. “When they contacted me to see if I’d be interested in bringing students over, I saw it as a great opportunity.”

Thirteen students from the Landscape Horticulture Program gained hands-on experience identifying insect damage and setting traps under Dr. Chitturi’s guidance. She helped them spot pests like aphids, flea beetles, and cucumber beetles while explaining their effects on crops.

“It’s important that youth see agriculture as more than just hard labor. There’s science. There’s business. There’s opportunity,” said Theriot.

By day’s end, students had deployed yellow sticky traps across the farm, learning real-world IPM skills a reflection of Lincoln University’s mission to merge education, outreach, and agricultural innovation for Missouri’s future.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-dmytro-diedov