Recipient Organization
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
240 FRENCH ADMINISTRATION BLDG
PULLMAN,WA 99164-0001
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The Washington State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Extension Implementation Program (EIP) supports the USDA NIFA CPPM EIP purpose of assuring the implementation of IPM through extension activities, coordination within our state, and collaboration with other EIP grantees. We seekto disseminate IPM knowledge and foster adoption of IPM practices by building upon established, successful extension projects and developing new and improved modalities for outreach and education, working across disciplines and geographic regions to achieve educational synergies and reduce duplication of effort while increasing knowledge and practice of IPM among agricultural, rural, and urban pest management practitioners. We have set forth specific objectives regarding preparation and dissemination of a variety of toolsbased on scientific research to assist stakeholders in achieving greater sustainability, human and environmental safety, and positive economic returns; engaging stakeholdersand collaborative teamsin program implementation; and evaluating program success via specific feedback mechanismsand milestones. Our program aligns with 2024 CPPM focus areas of Plant Protection Tools and Tactics, Diversified IPM Systems, and IPM for Sustainable Communities. Our program addresses five CPPM EIP priorities: IPM Implementation in Agronomic and Specialty Crops (including alfalfa/alfalfa seed, wheat/barley, grapes, hops, mint, potatoes/onions, small farms, small fruits, tree fruit), IPM Implementation in Animal Agriculture (shellfish aquaculture), IPM Implementation in Communities (home gardeners, Master Gardeners, pest management professionals), IPM for Pollinator Health (honey bees) andIPM for Forestry Stewardship (a state-specific need).
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
The overall goal of our program is to increase Integrated Pest Management (IPM) implementation among the agricultural, rural, and urban pest management practitioners of Washington State. Supporting objectives include:For growers of alfalfa forage and alfalfa seed: refinebest practices for balancing control of Lygus bug with protecting managed pollinators and communicateoptions for weevil controlEducate growers of wheat, barley, and associated crops on: herbicide resistance, management of insects that vector diseases, and management of specific weeds in an IPM contextFor growers of wine and juice grapes: develop grape-specific decision aid system (DAS) models, conduct hands-on outreach including Viticulture Intern Boot Camp and Viticulture Field Day, and provide sprayer calibration educationEducate hop growers on: sustainable spider mite management, importance of virus-free planting material, revised recommendations for pesticide timings with respect to export countriesReach out to mint growers regarding: miticide resistance in spider mites and alternative controls for mint root borerEducate potato and onion growers on: improved in-field scouting and use of DAS systemsOutreach to western Washington small farms about: producing sweetpotatoes in a maritime climate; identifying pests and beneficials; usingtreatment thresholds; prevention tactics in organic and near-organic contexts; surveying the area's emerging nursery industryOutreach to blueberry growers about aphid disease vectors; outreach to rasperry growers about spider mite and thrips management; outreach to both about spotted wing drosophila (SWD)For growers of tree fruits, outreach will focus on SWD and codling moth (CM)For the state's shellfish industry, partnering with scientists in New England to bring their knowledge of managing the invasive European Green Crab to our regionFor Master Gardeners and home gardeners: enhancing Hortsense and Pestsense web resources; developing and implementing advance training for Master GardenersFor community pest managers, developing and delivering IPM education and providingpathways to professional certificationsOutreach to commercial and hobbyist honey beekeepers focuses on management of Varroa mites and small hive beetle, and includes: presentations at regional beekeeper associations and entomology conferences; in-person workshops for previously underserved beekeepers; publication and distribution of fact sheets; translation of seminar and workshop materials into SpanishPresenting Forest Industry Coached Planning curriculum to small forest landowners in previously unserved western Washington countiesFormal evaluation of program impactsProduction and dissemination of a quarterly newsletter highlighting outreach activities and accomplishments of WSU Extension IPM team members?
Project Methods
Generally speaking, our methods for this extension project involve presenting our science-based IPM information to target audiences through a combination of in-person, electronic, and printed methodologies, some of which are detailed in the Products section of this Project Initiation. Some of our audience-specific methodologies and the means of evaluating our efforts follow.For alfalfa seed growers, presentations will be made at meetings of the Washington Alfalfa Seed Growers (WASG) and Western Alfalfa Seed Growers Association (WASGA) includingthe annual WASGA Seed School conference. Efforts will be evaluated by annual quantitative and qualitative surveys at the Seed School conference.For small grains growers, extensive interaction with the Washington Grain Commission and with growers will be expanded and supplemented by alarge and growing audience for the WSU Small Grains website, WSU Wheat Beat Podcast, and Weeders of the West blog, as well as the WSU Wheat Academy (which sells out annually). Efforts will be evaluated by formal and informal surveys.For grape growers, outreach will be conducted via meetings with the Washington State Wine Commission (WSWC) and Washington Winegrowers (WW) as well as through the WSU wine grape website,newsletter articles, and field days, the viticulture listserv, and social media (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter/X). Efforts will be evaluated by survey, qualitative interviews, and social media matrices.For hop growers, presentations will be made at meetings of theWashington Hop Commission, Hop Research Council, U.S. Hop Industry Plant Protection Committee, and Hop Growers of America meetings, as well as at the annual American Hop Convention. Efforts will be evaluated by surveys.For mint growers, presentations will be made at meetings of the WashingtonMint Commission and Mint Industry Research Council. Efforts will be evaluated by qualitative interviews.For potato and onion growers, talks will be given at conferences for the Northwest Potato Consortium,Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association, Washington Potato Commission, National Potato Council;and Washington and Oregon onion growers. One-on-one on-farm consultations will be conducted with >75 growers annually. Efforts will be evaluated by formal surveys.For the Regional Small Farms program, presentations will be made via webinar, on-farm visits, workshops, and ongoing programs such as the Dirt Talk series. Two-way communication via the online Farmer Technical Assistance Request tool will provide an additional outreach methodology. Efforts will be evaluated by surveys.For small fruit growers, presentations will be made to the Washington Blueberry Commission, the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research, and the Washington Red Raspberry Commission. Efforts will be evaluated for formal surveys.For tree fruit growers, talks will be given to the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, Oregon Sweet Cherry Commission, and Fresh and Processed Pear Growers of Oregon. Presentations, workshops, and seminars will be given at the Orchard Pest & Disease Management Conference, North Central Washington Stone Fruit Day, Lake Chelan Horticultural Meeting, Apple Crop Protection Research Review, Okanogan Horticultural Association, and other grower group meetings. Efforts will be evaluated by surveys.As a means of collaborating with other EIP grant recipient states, the PD will continue active participation in WERA-1017 Coordination of IPM in Western States and Territories. All Co-PDs collaborate with other extension specialists within WSU and at other universities, with industry groups representing their target audiences, and with organizations representing their scientific disciplines (e.g., Entomology Society of America, Western Society of Weed Science, American Phytopatholgy Association).All WSU Extension IPM team members contribute content and / or make themselves available for interviews by local, regional, and national news mediaincluding printed and electronic newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, expanding their IPM outreach to the general population as well as their stated target audiences.