Academic Report of College of Agricultural Sciences

Two years of IPM implementation and pesticide risk management in the Clackamas watershed have resulted in reduced pesticide residues in surface waters. Led by Dr. Paul Jepson, OSU forged unique partnerships in which regulatory agencies worked with farmers and other stakeholders who shared a common interest in both water quality and economic development. The establishment of these complex partnerships and their sophisticated participatory process characterizes the new face of Extension. This program represents one of a series of similar engagements in Oregon, all of which have ultimately been associated with reduced pesticide residues in surface waters. The weight of evidence that OSU programs contribute to these reductions is compelling, but everyone should note that these are not formal experiments that enable us to identify causal associations.