Empowering Ag Professionals through a Beneficial and Pest Insect Train-the-Trainer Short Course Program for Oregon, Washington, - Idaho

View the project final report

• 2010 annual report

Commodities

• Agronomic: corn, potatoes, wheat

Practices

• Education and Training: extension, workshop
• Pest Management: biological control, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management

Identification of insects is critical to adoption of integrated and sustainable insect management. The training program prepared participants so they can teach others. By using the “train-the-trainer” methodology - multiplier effect will increase adoption. Four short courses were conducted. The training project distributed resource materials so that new trainees can train others in insect collection, identification and control. Insect management information is available at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/umatilla/insect-id. Twelve microscopes were purchased and used. Students were evaluated by pre and post surveys. This project was funded by Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.

We have reached a diverse audience (71 participants) including University Extension faculty, other agricultural professionals field staff, producers, certified agronomists, growers and certified Master Gardeners from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Short courses were successful in introducing participants to insects. Students learned basics of insect morphology that helps them to identify main insect taxas in both natural and man-made ecosystems. Students learned and collected about the various orders and major families of insects that we typically encounter in the region.

Twenty hours of classroom instruction occurred over each three-day short course. Follow-up projects were assigned for participants to continue collecting, mounting and identifying as many as 10 orders and 50 insect families over a three to six month period following the short courses.

Short Course locations were Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Hermiston, OR; Washington State University Extension Community Education & Training Center, Colfax,WA and the Washington State University Benton County Extension Office, Kennewick, WA.

At the conclusion of this course, students could recognize on sight all orders of major insect pests present in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. They could also identify major insect families found in the region, and were knowledgeable of ecological insect management principles and strategies. Participants were introduced to on-line resources to find additional information on how to manage insects using biological means.