Press Release

Know Your Bugs: July Workshops Planned

It’s always good to know your enemy.

In the case of insects, that’s not always easy.

A hands-on pest management workshop to be held this summer will help small-scale vegetable producers learn money-saving pest management strategies that also benefit the environment.

Workshop attendees will also receive training materials about safe food handling of fruits and vegetables for direct market sales.

The first workshop runs from 4 to 8 on July 16 at the Payne County Fairgrounds in Stillwater. 

It will repeat on July 20 in Tulsa and July 27 in Oklahoma City.

Registration costs $15 and includes an evening meal. Space is limited; pre-registration for the Stillwater workshop is required by July 9.

Register online at www.kerrcenter.com, call 918.647.9123, or email jcastillo@kerrcenter.com.

One goal of the workshop is to show smaller-scale producers how they can reduce pesticide use (and save money), yet still get good crops.

Educators from the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, OSU Extension, and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF) will teach the workshop.

Participants will learn how to identify insect pests and how to safely use a variety of methods, both organic and non-organic, to manage them.

Educators will cover the basics of integrated pest management (IPM), including alternatives to pesticides and accurate pest identification.

The Kerr Center’s Doug Walton will discuss “farmscape management” as a form of preventive management, enhancing biodiversity to support beneficial insects.

Sue Gray, Tulsa County Extension Horticulturist, along with other OSU Extension staff, will explain “Digital Diagnostics,” a service allowing producers to email photos of pests to OSU entomologists for identification.

In addition, the Kerr Center’s David Redhage will address safe and effective use, handling, and storage of pesticides, as well as proper calibration of small-scale application equipment.

Workshop participants will also learn how to combat microbial pests by implementing proper measures to ensure the safety of the foods they raise and sell.

This food safety information is made possible by a grant from the USDA’s Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) to ODAFF.  Grant partners include the Kerr Center, OSU Food and Agriculture Processing center (FAPC), and the Oklahoma Department of Education.

For more information on sustainable pest management, as well as a calendar of other upcoming events related to sustainable agriculture, visit the Kerr Center website at www.kerrcenter.com.

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