Informing mint growers to reduce pesticide harm - Land-Grant Impacts

mint field in Oregon with mountain range in the background

Informing mint growers to reduce pesticide harm

Agricultural Systems, Story Crop Management, Extension, Oregon, Oregon State University, Pest Management, Profitability/Competitiveness, Western

The Oregon mint production industry had an estimated $28.7 million value in 2022. Losses from pests like mint root borer and variegated cutworm can eat into farmers’ profits, but the pesticide traditionally used to control these pests was phased out for use in food crops by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2022. Farmers now must use a newer product that requires a narrow window of application to be effective.

To help growers determine the correct time to apply the new product, Oregon State University Extension developed a Mint Pest Alert Newsletter informed by weather-based insect models verified by insect traps on the ground. The information informs farmers about when insect populations will be most susceptible to sprays, predicting optimum spray timing and treatment window. The newsletter serves mint growers in three regions and uses an aggregation of five regional weather stations to ensure that growers receive recommendations that are tailored to their locations.

With over half of the surveyed growers now using the new spray, the Mint Pest Alert Newsletter helped save an average of $28.33 per acre, or $453,000 in pest control savings in mint production across Oregon.

View the full statement on the NIDB.

Project supported by state appropriations. Photo courtesy Oregon State University Extension Service.

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