IPM Technologies celebrates 20 years

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IPM Technologies was created 20 years ago to develop IPM strategies and to help farmers to implement IPM.  Over this time Paul Horne and Jessica Page have worked across Australia and overseas to do precisely that, and they are now joined by Angelica Cameron.  They have worked on a huge range of crops, from hydroponic cut-flowers to broad-acre cropping.  Horticultural crops have been the main area of work over this time, beginning with potatoes and viticulture.

The work has not been one-way.  We have learnt so much from the farmers that we have collaborated with and we know that this has benefited us all.  This includes both large corporate farms and small, individual farmers. We have learnt from both, and hope that we have delivered results to both.

A few stand-out events and achievements from the last 20 years are:

  • Developing an IPM strategy for Victorian strawberry crops and seeing it implemented totally by the industry over a 4 year period.
  • Developing an IPM strategy for potato psyllid before it arrives in Australia.  This meant working in New Zealand and getting practice change there in order to test the strategy.
  • Paul receiving the Researcher of the Year award from the Vegetable Industry in 2009.
  • IPM Technologies receiving a Northern Business Achievement Award for training in 2012.
  • Helping vegetable farmers in Werribee and Cranbourne to reduce reliance on insecticides and implement IPM.
  • Helping farmers in Indonesia to massively reduce insecticide use.
  • Publishing two books (Paul and Jessie) based on our work, describing how to control invertebrate pests.
  • Moving to our current office in Hurstbridge.

We look forward to continuing this work!