Jonathan Lundgren will be the keynote speaker for the Ecologically Based Pest and Disease Management program April 14 at North Platte.  It will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the West Central Research and Extension Center, 402 W. State Farm Road.

Lundgren, an agroecologist, is director of the ECDYSIS Foundation and CEO of Blue Dasher Farm in South Dakota. His research focuses on assessing the ecological risk of pest management strategies and developing long-term solutions for sustainable food systems. His ecological research focuses heavily on conserving healthy biological communities within agrosystems by reducing disturbance and increasing biodiversity within cropland.

Also featured on the program are:

• Pest Control Using Beneficial Insects in Nebraska with Nebraska Extension Entomologist Julie Peterson
• Biological Management of Crop Diseases with Nebraska Extension Plant Pathologist Tony Adesemoye
• Panel discussion and Q&A session with presenters and invited farmers and local on-farm conservation groups.

Remote Access

You can also join the workshop online via Zoom using meeting ID:  786 247 691.  Here's how to access it:

• Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://nebraskaextension.zoom.us/j/786247691
• Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +16465588656,786247691# or +14086380968,786247691#
• Or Telephone: 1 646 558 8656 or +1 408 638 0968, both US Toll

Beneficial Insects Symposium April 15 in Lincoln

The Kansas (Central States) Entomological Society annual meeting will be held in Lincoln April 14-15. On Saturday, April 15, the public is invited to a Beneficial Insects Symposium from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Regency Suite of the Nebraska Union on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus. Topics and guest speakers include:

• Status of Bee Health and Mitigation Efforts with Marla Spivak, Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Apiculture and Social Insects, University of Minnesota, St. Paul
• Insects as Ecosystem Service Providers in Agricultural Settings with Jonathan Lundgren, director of ECDYSIS Foundation and CEO for Blue Dasher Farm
• Nebraska Beneficial Insect Protection Plan with Judy Wu-Smart, assistant professor of entomology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The symposium is free and open to the public.