Oregon IPM Center Newsletter - Vol I Iss 1 - Spring 2020 - Summit

IPM Summit a valuable networking opportunity for research and extension

Chris Hedstrom, OIMPC

Despite snow in the mountains around the state making travel difficult, thirty-six people attended the second annual IPM Research and Extension Summit, hosted by the Oregon IPM Center. The full day event included discussions aimed at improving communication between IPM research and extension faculty, brainstorming ways to track and measure IPM success and specialized workshops on topics like thresholds, IPM training, and pesticide resistance. 

The event kicked-off with five-minute “flash talks” as staff and faculty representing research, extension, and administration shared their views of IPM success. A theme among the talks was that implementation of the core ideas of IPM, such as multi-faceted approaches to problem solving, looking for changes over time, and observation and inquisitiveness, leads to success in the field.

 

Tyler Wepprich talks about IPM Success at the 2020 IPM Summit 

 

Metrics for measuring IPM success are a challenge, and were the focus of the morning group discussion. Suggestions included analyzing statewide pesticide usage data, such as point-of-sale data, application reporting tools, or the development of better on-farm measurement tools. Kaci Buhl of PSEP recommended staff take advantage of information collection resources through the university to develop better surveys and analyze data. Communication between researchers, extension and IPM practitioners was identified as a potential barrier to measurement over time for something as complex as IPM implementation.

In the afternoon, Peter Ellsworth from University of Arizona led a discussion on action thresholds using real-world examples of threshold development. Judit Barroso from Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center in Pendleton talked about the difficulties surrounding pesticide resistance management and the need for more attention to this aspect of IPM. Katie Murray and Chris Hedstrom of the Oregon IPM center led groups on IPM strategic planning the components of basic IPM training.

Survey responses were very positive. Many found the summit to be beneficial, and valued the opportunity to network with faculty they rarely see, to put some faces to names, and to have the opportunity to meet some new staff. The Oregon IPM Center is planning to host the Summit again 2021. 

A full report of the event can be found on the Oregon IPM Center Outreach page

 

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This article appears in Oregon IPM Insider, Vol 1 Issue 1: March 2020