CORVALLIS, Ore. — As an agronomist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, Gordon Jones fields questions on everything from field crops and soil to weeds and irrigation.
When Jones, who is based in Central Oregon, needs guidance on integrated pest management — known as IPM — one of his first calls is to the Oregon Integrated Pest Management Center.
“There’s a very collaborative culture within the Oregon IPM Center. Extension faculty have regular contact with producers. Through workshops and field days, we build relationships and understand grower needs.”
The Oregon IPM Center focuses on research and new thinking related to sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management. It works closely with OSU Extension to move science-based tools from the university into the hands of professionals and community members.
“Our main stakeholders are our Extension counterparts, especially at the county level,” said Silvia Rondon, director of the Oregon IPM Center. “These specialists are our connectors.”
The Oregon IPM Center, formerly known as the Integrated Plant Protection Center, was established in the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences in 1967. Since then, it has conducted research and outreach at the state, national and international levels.
The center develops discoveries and strategies related to sustainable pest management, while OSU Extension helps deliver that information to commercial producers and the public.
“There’s a very collaborative culture within the Oregon IPM Center,” said Cynthia Ocamb, an OSU Extension plant pathologist. “Extension faculty have regular contact with producers. Through workshops and field days, we build relationships and understand grower needs.”
The center is also home to Oregon’s statewide IPM coordinator, who works with counterparts across the country through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to advance IPM practices nationwide.
Serving diverse audiences
The Oregon IPM Center collaborates with urban and rural communities to address issues such as agroecology, climate change adaptation, invasive species and pesticide resistance.
“Oregon IPM is both an information hub and a connector,” Rondon said. “Our audiences range from agricultural producers to homeowners, in both urban and rural settings.”
Resources are organized into two main categories: IPM Tools for Professionals and IPM at Home. The center also publishes a newsletter featuring research updates, Extension activities and links to recent IPM-related publications by OSU faculty and staff.
IPM tools for professionals
Extension faculty such as Jones and Ocamb connect commercial producers with IPM Center resources and relay industry needs back to the center.
Many producers must earn continuing education credits to maintain pesticide applicator licenses, and Extension often relies on IPM Center materials during those trainings, Jones said.
Key resources for commercial agriculture include:
- Strategic plans and pest loss assessments
- Pest monitoring and predictive tools
- Pesticide resistance management
- Biological control and pollinator health
- Protocols for responding to invasive species in the West
“We want the tools we produce to be used,” Rondon said. “Extension plays a critical role in helping us share them.”
IPM at home
The Oregon IPM Center also serves audiences less familiar with the term IPM, such as homeowners and landscapers.
“Many people practice IPM without realizing it,” Rondon said. “They may not use the label, but they’re already using integrated approaches.”
One example is Solve Pest Problems, an IPM at Home initiative that provides science-based, easy-to-use online guidance for diagnosing and managing common pests and weeds in the Pacific Northwest with lower risk.
OSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers frequently use resources like Solve Pest Problems to provide timely, research-based advice to homeowners.
“Master Gardener volunteers are Extension’s connection to homeowners in communities,” Ocamb said.
The Oregon IPM Center updates its resources year-round and provides them at no cost. Many materials are available in Spanish.
The center is funded by the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences, OSU Extension, the USDA-NIFA Crop Protection and Pest Management Program Extension Implementation Program Area, and state and federal grants.
