In 2019, UC IPM celebrated its 40th anniversary. Over that time UC IPM has grown from a handful of forward-looking academics and staff engaged in the research and extension outreach needed to move agriculture from calendar-based pesticide applications to integrated pest management (IPM) programs based on understanding pest biology, ecology, and damage potential. Today, IPM is widely accepted as mainstream, calendar-based pesticide applications are no longer common, pest scouting is nearly universally practiced, and many sustainable certification programs include core IPM practices.
Going forward UC IPM will continue to provide the practical, how-to information needed for all Californians to safely manage pests. That’s right—all Californians manage pests at some level, whether professionally or where they live. And our goal is to provide every Californian the information they need to properly identify and safely manage pests. One way to think about IPM is as a risk management toolkit. Pests cause risks. Pest management practices cause risks. The goal is to manage pests while protecting human-health, the environment, and the economy. UC IPM, “making integrated pest management THE way Californians manage pests” and protecting what we all value about living in this great place.