Beneficial and pest insect “Train the Trainer” short course for Pacific Northwest Ag professionals

Pests and beneficials are increasingly important to all agricultural crops in the Pacific Northwest. The correct identification of insects is critical to successful adoption of integrated insect management. The project objective was to develop a cadre of agricultural professionals that respond to questions and bring a balanced ecological approach with the use of integrated management strategies. We trained 60 individuals (20 students per session) in 3 different 2½ day training sessions. We created a webpage for short course training materials at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/umatilla/insect-id. The student following the training then became trainers, and will use on-line resources for future local insect identification and management trainings. We created an email list serve for the class participants to simplify communication. Benefits from training program are anticipated in the coming years as knowledge in ecological insect management strategies is transferred to a broader audience reaching into rural communities across the region. Our audience included University Extension faculty, other agricultural professionals field staff, producers, and certified Master Gardeners. This short course was sponsored by WSARE.