Ron Whitehurst, PCA and owner Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. “Working with these species in a bio-diverse agroecosystem will require specific training and the ability to evaluate the pest-crop-beneficial input dynamic in very diverse locations. Biological control is a cornerstone of IPM.” – Entomologist Lynn LeBeck, Executive Director, Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers  In biodiversity-based farming systems ..read more

Ron Whitehurst, PCA and owner Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. The goal of the Roadmap is to offer a pathway to a future for pest management that benefits all Californians by reflecting a diverse range of considerations and stakeholder needs. There is an urban as well as an agricultural plan. Better regulation of urban pesticide use must ..read more

Ron Whitehurst, PCA and co-owner Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. The SPM Roadmap will be released by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation by the end of 2022. It will be a great step forward. To achieve the SPM goals, we believe the focus should be at a regional level. There is a parallel with federal IPM ..read more

Ron Whitehurst, PCA and co-owner Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. MYTH: “Chemical farming is based on sound science.” TRUTH: The science that backs chemical fertilizer and pesticide use is largely “tobacco science”. It took 50 years from the time that tobacco was shown to cause cancer to get a label on a pack of cigarettes that said ..read more

by Ron Whitehurst, PCA and co-owner Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. “Organic” has different meanings, but the particular meaning that is quite valuable for making state policies is its meaning as “the USDA Organic Label” because it is working to help consumers support the farmers who have moved away from chemical input-based farming. From a farmer’s perspective ..read more

Ron Whitehurst, PCA and co-owner Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. Our vision for successful Sustainable Pest Management is that UCCE Farm Advisors, farmers, PCAs, CCAs, and field scouts – all farm personnel – effectively monitor pests and biological control in a landscape approach for predicting populations and evaluating interventions appropriate to the farming system. They enhance biological ..read more

by Ron Whitehurst, PCA, and co-owner Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. DEFINITIONS ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT We sometimes hear people talk about “biologicals” as if the word is interchangeable with biological control. It is an example of lack of understanding about the full meaning of biological control in the transition away from conventional chemical control. Agreement on the ..read more

by Ron Whitehurst, PCA and co-owner Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. Pest Control Advisors (PCAs) make their decisions based on monitoring to determine an “action level” or “action threshold”. In other words, they look for signs that it is time to do something to prevent a serious pest problem. To align PCAs with the SPM goals, it ..read more

It started when we joined with Adam Vega for the founding of the Ventura County Coalition Advocating Pesticide Safety (VC-CAPS) in 2018. Adam introduced us to Californians for Pesticide Reform and we started sitting in on the “Alternatives Call”.  A big opportunity came up when Governor Newsom formed a new group under the Department of ..read more

by Ron Whitehurst, PCA, with Jan Dietrick, MPH, Co-owners Rincon-Vitova Insectaries, Inc. Appreciation to Deke & Van We draw on what we learned from our mentor, Jan’s father, Everett J. “Deke” Dietrick, and Robert “Van” van den Bosch who dedicated their lives to biological control of pests, as we envision how SPM can work.  In ..read more