When secondary school students were asked about the socioscientific issue of using sodium fluoroacetate (1080) poison to control New Zealand's possum pests, they provided a wide range of responses. Their responses showed that they considered this method of control to be risky and contentious. Such contentious issues are an example of the…

Storytelling can stimulate learning by delivering scientific content within a narrative that increases comprehension and engagement. In this article I describe the coevolutionary arms race between toxic newts and predatory garter snakes. This engaging story centers on the use of a deadly neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin (TTX) as an antipredator…

A diagnostic walkabout (DW) is an in-field diagnostic training program for professionals in the green industry (greenhouse, landscape, nursery, and turf businesses). DWs have been scheduled annually since 2002 and are easily replicable, fee-based programs that provide cost recovery. DWs also serve as a mentoring program for new Extension…

Plant clinics have been used as a tool to help Extension professionals diagnose crop production problems; however, limited resources have made it difficult to continue to offer in-person clinics. Using distance-learning technology, University of Maryland Extension initiated and offered to Extension professionals "virtual" plant clinics…

Background: Schools are particularly vulnerable to pests, but integrated pest management (IPM) can address pest problems. This study describes IPM policies and practices and the extent to which they are associated with school characteristics. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study, a nationally…

Since 2011, Oregon State University has conducted integrated pest management (IPM) training specific to public schools. School personnel receive onsite training on key IPM practices as well as associated materials. To determine which practices and materials school employees are using as a result of the program, we administered a survey to 2016…

The growth of community gardens has created new opportunities for urban Extension personnel at a time when staffing resources continue to decline. To serve the integrated pest management (IPM) needs of community gardening populations, Extension educators in two urban counties developed an on-site program involving a demonstration kit and planning…

Sugarcane aphids are becoming a more prevalent pest in sorghum in the United States, especially in the south and are making their way north. There are many management practices that can be used on sugarcane aphids, the most important being scouting and maintaining populations. The most common mistake once a pest has been found is to immediately…

The primary question of my dissertation is, "Does venom possess a microbiome specific to it as an ecosystem, and why?" Given the limited amount of literature on venom microbiomes, I selected the California Cone Snail, "Californiconus californicus" as a proposed, wild model system for studying venom-microbe interactions in the…

Purpose: This paper examines the benefits of using an outcome-based education (OBE) method within agricultural extension outreach programmes for professional and farmer audiences. Design/Methodology/Approach: The method is elaborated through two practical examples, which show that focused, short-duration programmes can produce meaningful skill…

Purpose: This study assesses the effect of participatory research on farmers' knowledge and practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Benin. The participatory field experiments were carried out during the 2011-2012 cotton growing season, and focused on the development and application of pest management knowledge. Methodology: A…

This article looks at the costs and benefits of producing organic milk. To be organic, dairy farmers must use organic fertilizer and organic pesticides, and the cows are not given supplemental hormones or antibiotics--that is, the milk must be produced without chemicals, hormones, or antibiotics (Hannon 2009). The organic versus nonorganic world…

The trend toward encouraging adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in schools has increased in the last decade. Because IPM helps reduce risk of human pesticide exposure, reduce allergens and asthma triggers, save energy, and protect the environment, it's essential that IPM awareness continue not only with current school administrators,…

Farmer field schools (FFSs) originated in Asia as a means of achieving several objectives, of which key was to deliver training on 'integrated pest management' as an alternative to intensive pesticide spraying, which was severely damaging farm production, the environment and farmers' health. Integrated pest management (IPM) was developed in the…

Operation Cleansweep is a free pesticide disposal program that has operated in Florida since 1995. The program is open to commercial facilities, including agricultural production establishments, golf course operators, and pest control companies. Since its inception, the program has had more than 1,700 participants and collected more than 1,000,000…