Tag: OPCA

California leads the nation in specialty crop production, growing more than 400 different crops across its diverse agricultural landscape. With such variety comes a complex web of pest management challenges that demand innovative, research-driven solutions. The OARS Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis is continuously working to support pest management that meets agricultural needs and state policy goals. One way we do that is through our Adaptive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Invasive Agricultural Pests grant program, which is currently accepting applications.  
 
The program’s goal is to develop IPM program(s) or components that can be rapidly implemented when new invasive agricultural pests arrive and become established in California or when recently arrived invasive pests resurge or expand their range or host species. The program also supports research to refine and optimize existing IPM strategies to improve their effectiveness or exploring additional control measures against established invasive agricultural pests that drive extensive pesticide use but remain uncontrolled due to developed pesticide resistance. If you are researching innovative ways to control invasive pests, check out the Request for Proposals.  

One previously funded project that recently completed is ‘A proactive approach to prepare for the invasion of Tuta absoluta into California’ lead by Dr. Ian Grettenberger. This project addressed the South American tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta, a devastating pest of tomatoes of high concern to California. If T. absoluta invades California, there will be an immediate need for management information to address its spread and to protect tomato production. Because T. absoluta has been spreading through other parts of the world, there is the opportunity to adapt existing knowledge to California’s needs.  

Management tactics tested include chemical management, biological control via indigenous and introduced natural enemies, and cultural management through variety resistance and plant breeding. Information on these methods will help growers and officials in the short-term and will help provide long-term solutions for T. absoluta in California.  

Author: Kevi Mace

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA’s) Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis (OPCA) was formed in 1992 following the formation of CalEPA’s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). Prior to this time CDFA was responsible for pesticide regulation in the state. OPCA’s primary role is to provide DPR with impact analyses of proposed pesticide regulations, specifically actions detailed in Food and Agriculture Code (FAC) Section 11454.2. The consultative arrangement was established primarily to ensure that the economic impacts on California’s agricultural industry would be evaluated before the adoption of new pesticide regulations. OPCA is funded through the pesticide mill assessment collected by DPR for CDFA. 

Currently, OPCA consists of five scientists with backgrounds mainly in agricultural entomology. We work closely with UC Cooperative Extension scientists and agricultural economists while doing analyses. Despite our office being in the back of the building, we welcome stakeholder communication; we will happily talk your ear off about analytical methods, data, and regulatory frameworks.    

Our analyses are specifically focused on assessing the immediate impact of the proposed regulation on pest management costs and effectiveness. We use pesticide use reporting data to estimate future use based on historical trends and to predict how the loss of specific active ingredients might affect those use trends. This methodology was developed by Dr. Rachael Goodhue, the chair of Agricultural Resource Economics at UC Davis, OPCA, and a host of other collaborators and published in 2017 (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/bk-2018-1283.ch020).   

In the past five years, OPCA has completed reports related to the withdrawal of chlorpyrifos, multiple iterations of the neonicotinoid mitigation regulations, and multiple iterations for both sets of 1,3-Dichloropropene (non-occupational bystander and occupational bystander) safety regulations. Public reports, publications, and white papers are available on our website https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oars/opca/publications.html.   

Since 2019, OPCA has also started running several grant programs including Biologically Integrated Farming Systems, Proactive Integrated Pest Management, and support for IR-4.  

In a world of rapidly changing pest threats, we are adapting too! Our “Proactive IPM Solutions” program is now “Adaptive IPM for Invasive Agricultural Pests”, moving beyond “proactive” to a more responsive, dynamic, and inclusive approach. Our program focuses on developing and implementing adaptable IPM strategies that enable swift action against emerging invasive pests in California, whether they are newly introduced, resurging, or expanding their range. We are dedicated to refining existing methods and exploring new solutions, especially where pesticide resistance poses a challenge.