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The NAISMA Classical Biocontrol Committee is excited to announce new peer-reviewed weed biocontrol publications for use by managers and landowners. Subject matter experts are developing a series of factsheets that cover invasive plants and their associated biological control agents in North America. Funding for these factsheets is provided by the United State Forest Service. NAISMA is partnering with iBiocontrol.org to host these publications.
See also: Resources on Biocontrol and Classical Weed Biocontrol Factsheets Released for Landowners and Weed Managers (Press Release - Aug 31, 2022)

The National Integrated Pest Management Coordinating Committee (NIPMCC) has released a series of whitepapers explaining how pests threaten the security of the U.S. food supply, how an IPM approach offers the most effective means of managing pests, and why ongoing investment in IPM research and extension is critical to keeping pace with the ever-evolving nature of these threats. These new issue papers discuss role of IPM in combating resistance and invasive species, safeguarding food supply, and minimizing economic losses.

The National Slow the Spread (STS) Program is dedicated to slowing the spread of spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) throughout the U.S. The STS Program is part of the USDA's  integrated pest management (IPM) program and national strategy for Lymantria dispar management. Slow the Spread efforts are coordinated by a chartered, non-profit foundation that coordinates the operations of the program and facilitates the movement of funding between federal (USDA Forest Service and APHIS) and state agencies. Slow the Spread is one of the world’s largest and most successful integrated pest management programs. 

State and Federal agencies collaborate in a national integrated pest management (IPM) program called the Slow the Spread Program (STS) to reduce the spread rate of Lymantria dispar and limit its impacts. Slow the Spread is one of the world’s largest and most successful integrated pest management programs. 
See related resource: National Slow The Spread (STS) Program

Hunting for natural enemies of the red imported fire ant is paying off for Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Their latest discovery — a new virus found in fire ants from Argentina — has the potential of becoming a biological control agent against the red imported fire ants infesting the U.S.

A parasitoid wasp that is the natural enemy of a fly known as the spotted-wing drosophila could be a good friend to growers. Washington State University researchers recently confirmed the discovery of the potentially beneficial wasp in the United States for the first time. The drosophila flies cause major damage to several Washington crops, especially sweet cherries and berries. The wasp, which lays its eggs in the flies, could be a means of controlling their spread.

The Niagara Region’s Aquatic and Riparian Invasive Species Control Database (created by Lyn A. Brown as part of a Master of Sustainability thesis at Brock University) provides a baseline for the 2017/18 state of aquatic and riparian invasive management activities in the Niagara Region of Ontario. An interactive GIS map uses the database information to show where those control efforts are occurring, and users can filter points on the map by invasive species, control type, control effectiveness, or organization.

The Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) program addresses high priority issues related to pests (including insects, nematodes, pathogens, and weeds) and their management using IPM approaches at the state, regional and national levels. Scroll to view the section for "Related Funding Opportunities."

NIFA partners with researchers and educators in the Land-Grant University System and the private sector to develop and implement new ways to address these complex pest management issues. NIFA provides funding to support extension IPM implementation and pesticide applicator safety programs in 50 states and six territories, the Minor Crop Pest Management Program (IR-4), four regional IPM centers, and numerous grants programs. Each of these investments contributes to the development of safe and effective IPM systems that increase farm profitability, reduce environmental and human health risks, and protect natural resources.

NIFA is supporting 76 projects addressing high priority issues related to all pests, and their management using Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) approaches at the state, regional and national levels with more than $19.6 million in funding. The Crop Protection and Pest Management Program (CPPM) supports projects that will increase food security and respond effectively to other major societal challenges with comprehensive IPM approaches that are economically viable, ecologically prudent, and safe for human health.

Biocontrol is an important management tool that utilizes one species (a biocontrol agent) to control another (a target host) and can be an effective approach for controlling populations of invasive species across broad spatial scales. Climate change, though, is complicating biocontrol, raising concerns that mismatches between how biocontrol agents and their hosts respond to climate change could alter the efficacy of current and future biocontrol programs. In response, a team of RISCC (Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change) Management Network and NE CASC (Climate Adaptation Science Center) researchers has published a new "Management Challenge" that details how climate change impacts the relationship between biocontrol agents and their target hosts and outlines management implications arising from this problem.

The Weed Control Guide, a joint publication from the Cooperative Extension Services in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, explains the importance of weed control and gives suggestions on herbicide management strategies for corn, popcorn, sweet corn, soybeans, small grains, and forages.