For UC IPM, 2018 was a year of continuity and change. We continued our mission to provide science-based, practical solutions to manage pests while protecting Californians and California. UC IPM staff and academics also continued to win awards for their great work. David Haviland won the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) Award for Outstanding Extension and the Pacific Branch Entomological Society Excellence in Extension Award. Cheryl Wilen won the UC ANR Award for Outstanding Leadership. Jim Stapleton and the Soil Fumigant Alternatives/BioSolarization Team won the California Department of Pesticide Regulation IPM Achievement Award.
In the area of change, we are moving our web resources to a mobile-friendly format while migrating our content to a database system. This will allow us to better provide information where and when people want it, while becoming nimbler in developing new decision-support tools.
Over the last 20 years state and federal resources have continuously dwindled, and we now have to face the fact that they will not return.
We are also moving to a new funding model. For years, our core funding was state and federal resources directed to ANR as the extension arm of the University of California, supplemented with grants and contracts with federal and state agencies for specific projects. Over the last 20 years, state and federal resources have continuously dwindled, and we now have to face the fact that they will not return. Therefore, we are exploring new funding streams including fee-for-service, a partnership program, and even individual donations. That is a big change in mind-set for us because we began in the era of free university cooperative extension. However, we can either adapt to new circumstances or shrink the UC Statewide IPM Program. I am committed continuing to focus on our mission while adapting to new funding realities.