Integrated Pest Management
Working to reduce health and environmental risks from pest management, as well as improve practices, and increase IPM adoption. Our focus areas involve tactics and tools for plant protection, enhancing agricultural biosecurity, and IPM for sustainable communities. The program encompasses four areas; agronomic crops, communities, pest diagnostic facilities, and pesticide education. The overall goal of the Integrated Pest Management program is to develop and deliver information on IPM practices in Montana.
What is Integrated Pest Management?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.
The four main principles of IPM are to: identify and monitor pests, set action thresholds, formulate an action plan for managing pests, and evaluate and modify the action plan.
Friends of the IPM Extension
Montana Ag Live is a regular call-in information broadcast television program dealing with agricultural and gardening issues in Montana. Presented by Montana PBS in association with Montana State University Extension.
Building a Better Lentil seeks to develop IPM management strategies for crop rotations that include lentils in the Northern Region.
The USDA, NASS, Montana Field Office is the main agricultural data-gathering agency in Montana.
