The effort to revitalize the National Integrated Pest Management Committee moved forward last month with the formalization of the committee structure and election of new executive officers.
The committee was initially formed in 1985 and helped to champion IPM to national prominence, including the Clinton Administration’s announcement in 1993 that IPM was a national priority and the release of the national IPM roadmaps in 2002 and 2004. In recent years, however, the activity of the committee had declined.
That's changed over the past two years, as the national committee has been reformed as part of a larger effort to invigorate the IPM base nationally.
The committee is officially a subcommittee within the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities, which advocates for the needs and priorities of public universities and serves as their voice in Washington.
In two days of meetings in October, a new committee structure was ratified and executive officers elected. New officers are Frank Louws from North Carolina State University, Charles Allen from Texas A&M AgriLife, and Doug Walsh from Washington State University.
Also discussed at the meeting were the use of IPM to resolve resistance and pollinator issues, invasive species and climate change, technology advancements and their utility in IPM programs, and IPM solutions for public health issues.
Although committee members have been selected, future annual meetings will be open to anyone interested in integrated pest management and remote access will be available for those unable to travel to Washington, D.C. Meeting details will be announced in The Western Front.
