CORVALLIS, Ore. — As an agronomist with the Oregon State University Extension Service, Gordon Jones gets many questions on a variety of topics, including field crops, soil, weeds and irrigation.
When Jones, who is based in Central Oregon, has a question about integrated pest management, also known as IPM, one of the first calls he makes is to the Oregon Integrated Pest Management Center.
The Oregon IPM Center is a trusted collaborator with OSU Extension to bring research and tools to professionals and community members alike. Integrated pest management is a science-based approach that combines a variety of techniques to manage pests while minimizing the impacts of pesticides.
“Our main stakeholders are our Extension counterparts, especially at the county level,” said Silvia Rondon, who directs the Oregon IPM Center. “These specialists are our connectors.”
The Oregon IPM Center, formerly the Integrated Plant Protection Center, was formed in the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences in 1967, and has been conducting research and outreach in state, national and international settings ever since.
The center focuses on discoveries and new thinking related to sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management, Rondon said. OSU Extension connects these discoveries with both commercial agricultural producers and lay audiences.
“There's definitely a very collaborative world inside the Oregon IPM Center,” said Cynthia Ocamb, an OSU Extension plant pathologist. “Extension folks tend to have more regular contact with the producer communities. Extension offers programming, like workshops, where we get to know the grower community.”
The center provides a home for the Oregon statewide IPM coordinator, who works along IPM coordinators and directors nationwide with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to implement integrated pest management practices wherever these are needed.
The center collaborates with both urban and rural communities to research and provide information on agroecology, climate change adaptations, invasive species and pesticide resistance.
“Oregon IPM is a hub of information but also a connector for many groups,” Rondon said. “Our clientele can be very diverse. It can be agriculture, homeowners, both urban and rural. We organize our resources into ‘IPM Tools for Professionals’ and ‘IPM at Home.’”
The center newsletter features articles about ongoing research, Extension activities and insights, and links to recent publications related to IPM written or co-authored by OSU staff and faculty.
IPM Tools for Professionals
Extension faculty such as Ocamb and Jones connect commercial producers with these resources and relay their need back to the Oregon IPM Center.
Many producers are also required to complete continuing education credits to maintain their pesticide application license. Oregon IPM Center resources are often used by Extension faculty in those trainings, said Jones.
The Oregon IPM Center provides half a dozen resources for commercial agriculture producers related to pests and pesticides, including:
- Strategic Plans & Pest Loss Assessments
- Pest Monitoring & Predictive Tools
- Pesticide Resistance Management
- Biological Control & Pollinator Health
- Responding to Invasive Species in the West
“We want the materials/products we produce to be used,” Rondon said. “We need help from Extension to help us promote these tools.”
IPM at Home
The Oregon IPM Center also provides resources to other groups less familiar with the acronym “IPM,” such as homeowners or landscapers.
“If you are in the agricultural world you have heard of IPM, but in my experience, many people do IPM but might not be labeled an IPM specialists,” said Rondon.
Solve Pest Problems, an IPM at Home initiative, is a science-based, easy-to-understand online resource for homeowners and landscapers in the Pacific Northwest. The website helps homeowners diagnose and solve common pest and weed problems, effectively and with lower risk.
OSU Extension Master Gardeners use resources like Solve Pest Problems to make science-based and timely decisions about pests in their areas.
“Master Gardeners are the OSU connection with homeowners in communities,” said Ocamb.
The center adds new information and data about pests year-round and is available for homeowners and commercial farmers at no cost. Many of the center’s resources are also available in Spanish.
The Oregon IPM Center is funded by the College of Agricultural Sciences, OSU Extension, the USDA-NIFA Crop Protection and Pest Management Program Extension Implementation Program Area, and state and federal grants.
The center will co-host the 84th annual Pacific Northwest Insect Management Conference in Portland on Jan. 13-14; in addition, the team is busy helping plan the 11th IPM International Symposium in San Diego and the Entomological Society of America Pacific Branch in Salte Lake City.
