RISE President Talks IPM, Benefits on NPR Show

Source: www.TurfMagazine.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pesticide resistance is a serious concern for everyone involved in the pest control discussion-homeowners, farmers, pest control operators, environmentalists and others, and long-standing NPR radio personality Diane Rehm invited Aaron Hobbs, president of RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment), to join a panel discussion tackling the issue on her Feb. 3 show.

Hobbs was joined by Les Glasgow, herbicide technical product lead for Syngenta; Erik Olson, director of health programs for the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC); and Andy Dyer, professor of biology at the University of South Carolina and author of “Chasing the Red Queen: The Evolutionary Race Between Agricultural Pests and Poisons.”

Rehm opened the show by discussing the challenges of weed resistance management and whether there is a need for new solutions.

Each panelist shared their distinct perspective, but Hobbs was able to bring into focus one commonality in the various views: the support for an integrated approach. Hobbs pointed out that pesticides can be important tools and solutions to a problem. He noted that they should be used in combination with all available pest control tools to solve specific homeowner or farmer pest problems. Hobbs also emphasized the importance of education, proper use and continued evolution of pesticide technology.

Listen to the complete show on The Diane Rehm Show website.