New Regional IPM Agent in Pennsylvania PA IPM Program August 4, 2003 Transferred to the web by NE PMC 9/06/03

UNIVERSITY PARK -- John Holowid brings over twenty years of experience in the Ag chemical industry to his new position as Penn State Cooperative Extension Regional IPM Agent in the Northwest region.
His varied background in the chemical industry in both field technical service and ag chemical sales enabled him to adapt and successfully develop and sell a wide range of products in all market segments. “ I’ve worked on a variety of products from the ground up, all the way to marketing them to growers. I believe this experience is helping me in my new position, basically selling the concept of IPM to growers,” says Holowid.
Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, aims to manage pests -- such as insects, diseases, weeds and animals -- by combining physical, biological and chemical tactics that are safe, profitable and environmentally compatible.
Holowid focuses primarily on IPM program development in nursery, greenhouse and ornamental crops, covering an eight county area in Northwestern Pennsylvania. As part of is duties, he educates growers, diagnoses problems in their crops and conducts field research projects.

Holowid was first made aware of the value of IPM while working in the Ag chemical industry. “Some of the growers I worked with thought they were experiencing pesticide resistance, when in actuality they were applying the chemicals too late for them to very effective. I demonstrated through insect trap counts and degree-days that they were spraying too late. Now they can better monitor what was going in their fields and can apply less potent pesticides when they would be most effective. By using less potent pesticides, growers were able to preserve some of their predators, which then led to less frequent sprays and a reduction in total pesticide use.”

Holowid employs IPM tactics such as monitoring growing degree-days for the nursery landscape industry on his regional Web site at and on the 1-800 PENN IPM hotline. He collaborates with Mike Masiuk, cooperative extension agent in Allegheny County, to monitor a wide area in north and southwestern Pennsylvania.
He’s noticed that interest in IPM has grown over the years, and most growers he works with are applying at least some of the tactics in an IPM program. “People are adopting IPM tactics because they know its better for the environment and that they can reduce costs by spraying pesticides less,” Holowid explains.
Recently, Holowid has been working with schools and those doing school maintenance to help them establish IPM plans, which is now required by law. “Education is really key. Some people don’t think herbicides are pesticides, and don’t know what to do about their pest problems,” says Holowid.

Holowid is also working with an urban 4-H program in Erie. “I think working with the third graders has been the biggest challenge of my job so far,” Holowid states. “I taught a bugs and IPM program to them last year, and really enjoyed their reaction.” Holowid also taught a history of IPM course for a high school class last winter. “The most rewarding aspect of my job is getting others interested in IPM, and working with non-traditional audiences is something new and hopefully something I get to do more of,” he says.
In addition to his other duties, Holowid recently won a Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences Extension IPM Program grant to study the control of Japanese knotweed, an aggressive invasive plant that was introduced from Japan and is spreading through out Pennsylvania. Invasive species, because of their aggressive growth characteristics, are replacing less aggressive native species. The project will use grant funds to conduct a pilot study of Japanese knotweed for one year in the Northwest region of the state.
“The site is located in Erie where 8-10 foot tall stands of Japanese knotweed are blocking the view of the Presque Isle Bay from area residents,” Holowid explains. He says the project will employ a variety of objectives, including the use of lime to determine if a change in soil solution pH will affect the growth and vigor of the weed.

Holowid received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh and his M.S. in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Tennessee. He resides in Meadville with his wife and 14-year-old son, and can be reached at (814) 825-0900 or by email at jrh30@psu.edu.

The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and nonagricultural situations. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu.

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Editors Contact:
Kristie Auman-Bauer
(814) 865-2839
kma147@psu.edu

Centers for Pest Management are sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture

This page developed and managed by Jim VanKirk, NE PMC Coordinator