Why is the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Involved in Integrated Pest Management?
The Department is required by the Pesticide Control Act of 1973, as amended in 1987, to educate all pesticide applicators about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) control methods as a part of license recertification requirements. In addition, Pennsylvania is a signatory party to the Chesapeake Bay resolution which encourages the promotion of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to citizens as a method to reduce toxics in the Bay. The Department at the present time has assigned the responsibility to coordinate both IPM and Sustainable Agriculture activities to Cathy Thomas. Since many pest control practices also have sustainable agricultural value and vice versa, combining the programs makes good sense. Ms. Thomas coordinates IPM activities with Penn State University IPM Coordinator, Dr. Edwin Rajotte on a regular basis to insure continuity of statewide IPM efforts. This collaborative effort is known as the Pennsylvania IPM Program (PA IPM). You may contact Cathy Thomas at: Telephon
