DPR Celebrates California Leaders in Safer, More-Sustainable Pest Management
Award winners from Los Angeles, Monterey, Sutter and Yolo counties lead adoption of integrated pest management across the state
SACRAMENTO - On Thursday, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) will host its annual Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Achievement Awards, which recognize the outstanding work of four organizations and individuals who are leaders in implementing IPM to sustainably control pests in California.
This awards ceremony marks 30 years of DPR recognizing and celebrating leaders for their achievements in the adoption and promotion of IPM - the use of the least-toxic, effective methods of pest management - in agricultural, urban and wildland settings throughout the state. This year’s awardees have implemented IPM in organic agriculture; advanced traditional IPM practices through new technology; and dedicated their careers to promoting IPM.
WHEN?
IPM Achievement Awards: 1:30 p.m. Feb. 29 on Zoom.
Register here to join virtual ceremony.
DPR DIRECTOR JULIE HENDERSON
"IPM is the foundation of safe, effective and sustainable pest management practice throughout our agricultural, urban and wildland environments," said DPR Director, Julie Henderson. "We are fortunate to be able to recognize California innovators and leaders who prioritize health and environmental sustainability in making sound pest management decisions."
AWARDEES
Gina Bella Colfer for developing and implementing safer, more sustainable IPM practices for the agricultural industry
Gina Bella Colfer, a pest control advisor (PCA) with more than 30 years of experience in organic agriculture, primarily on California's Central Coast, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work developing and implementing safer, more sustainable IPM practices in agriculture.
The Lifetime IPM Achievement Award recognizes individuals with 20 or more years of research, professional practice, or outreach in IPM-related sectors.
Colfer spent more than 15 years honing her IPM-centered pest management recommendations as the in-house PCA and agronomist for Mission Organics/Earthbound Farms, the largest producer of leafy greens on the West Coast. She is currently the sustainable solutions manager for Wilbur Ellis, a global agricultural product and chemical company, where she works to build the company’s organics program and help growers maintain healthy soils and reduce synthetic inputs.
Colfer is a highly regarded pest management expert who developed a "whole systems approach" that combines many organic strategies with the goals of supporting healthy soils, reducing pest issues, decreasing the use of pesticides, protecting the environment and pesticide handlers, and reducing the overall cost of pest management.
Park Farming Organics for exemplifying sustainable pest management in California agriculture
Park Farming Organics, based in Meridian, Sutter County, is being recognized for embodying IPM in California agriculture.
Covering 1,400 acres, Park Farming is a leader in organic farming, and has developed a holistic system that focuses on soil health to improve the farm’s ecosystem and yield healthy crops without the use of pesticides or other synthetic inputs. In 2022, the farm received Regenerative Organic Certification, which promotes holistic agriculture practices for soil health and land management, animal welfare, and farmer and worker fairness.
Scott Park, one of the farm’s founders, recently participated as a member of the Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) Work Group convened by DPR, the California Environmental Protection Agency and the CDFA, and he continues to support and advocate for organic and SPM practice implementation throughout California and beyond. Park Farming Organics is a model example of using safer, more sustainable IPM practices in farming.
UAV-IQ Precision Agriculture for advancing traditional IPM practices through new technology
Los Angeles-based UAV-IQ Precision Agriculture - which specializes in the drone-based release of beneficial insects and other beneficial organisms - is being recognized for advancing traditional IPM practices through new technology.
UAV-IQ’s technology allows targeted drone applications of beneficial organisms. Their services provide safe, effective, and sustainable ways to incorporate biocontrol into an IPM program while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating soil compaction. In addition, UAV-IQ actively participates in research and conducts outreach activities specifically to promote biocontrol, and they seek to support their local economy with skilled jobs.
The technology promises to support pollinator protection, enhance biodiversity, reduce pesticide drift and run-off into surface water, and lower the potential of pesticide exposure to farmworkers and local communities.
Dr. Frank Zalom for advancing IPM practices in California specialty crops as a preeminent researcher, practitioner, and champion of sustainable pest management
Dr. Frank Zalom, of Davis, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his 40-plus year career as a preeminent researcher, practitioner, and champion of integrated pest management.
The Lifetime IPM Achievement Award recognizes individuals with 20 or more years of research, professional practice, or outreach in IPM-related sectors.
Dr. Zalom’s work has contributed greatly to advancing safe, effective, and sustainable IPM practices in specialty crops such as almonds, strawberries, tomatoes, and olives.
Dr. Zalom is a retired Distinguished Professor of Entomology at the University of California (UC), Davis who was the first Extension IPM Coordinator for the Statewide UC IPM Program and the director of the UC IPM Program. He is currently a UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus, an advisor to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis, and a science advisor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Through hundreds of presentations and publications, Dr. Zalom has contributed to broad adoption of IPM practices for numerous agricultural pests, resulting in less insecticide use and reduced run-off impacts and high-risk pesticide exposures.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information on the 2024 IPM Achievement Awards Program visit our webpage.
For videos of past ceremonies and award winners, see our YouTube page.
Learn more about DPR’s pest management programs here.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF PESTICIDE REGULATION
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation protects human health and the environment by fostering sustainable pest management and carrying out a robust regulatory program.
DPR’s work includes conducting scientific evaluations of pesticides to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment prior to and following registration, registering all pesticides prior to sale or use in California, monitoring for pesticides in the air and water, and enforcing pesticide laws and regulations in coordination with 55 County Agricultural Commissioners and their combined 500 field inspectors across the state’s 58 counties. DPR invests in innovative research, outreach, and education to encourage the development and adoption of integrated pest management tools and practices and conducts outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to pesticide safety information. More information about DPR.
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