The Almond Board of California is excited to welcome Drew Wolter to the team as its new senior specialist in Pest Management.
Long before he was hired to be the Almond Board of California's (ABC) Senior Specialist in Pest Management, Drew Wolter had his sights set on joining the organization.
He was suitably impressed.
“Since the beginning of my graduate education, I had the goal of joining the Almond Board,” Wolter said. “I really wanted to be part of a grower-oriented establishment that looks to keep growers profitable while minimizing the environmental impact of almond production.”
ABC's Chief Scientific Officer Josette Lewis said that as part of the Almond Board's Research and Innovation team, Wolter will play a key role in developing the next generation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, from pest monitoring technologies that improve precision beyond calendar-based applications to biopesticides and new weed management options. He will also assist in creating outreach materials and learning opportunities that encourage grower adoption of well-tested IPM practices that underpin the industry's Almond Orchard 2025 Goal to increase environmentally friendly pest management practices by 25%.
“Drew will spearhead our pest management research to equip growers and PCAs with the best information and tools that will support our industry in producing high-quality almonds both profitably and sustainably,” Lewis said. “He will also join ABC's Field Outreach and Education team to get those tools in the hands of growers.”
Tom Devol, ABC's senior manager of Field Outreach and Education, said Wolter is a welcome addition to the team, which works closely with growers throughout the Central Valley, providing hands-on, in-orchard support as well as connecting growers with experts to address various management problems. Since his first day in early October, Wolter has already met with growers in Fresno, Madera, Chowchilla and the Chico area.
“Drew adds a great skill set to the Field Outreach and Education team, one that I know will be great for our growers,” Devol said. “Drew's work with UC ANR [Ag and Natural Resources] also brings a depth of knowledge that comes from working with farm advisors across the state – this knowledge and expertise is going to be a big help to our growers in the areas of pest management and weed control.”
“Even though he just started, it feels like he has been on the team for a year,” Devol added. “He really embodies the mindset of industry service that runs through the veins of this organization.”
Delivering pest expertise to the orchard
When asked what pest and weed challenges he's most excited to take on, Wolter ticked off a long list of familiar issues: navel orangeworm (NOW), web-spinning mites, leaf-footed bug, brown marmorated stink bug, Alternaria leaf spot, hull rot and bacterial blast.
“Our objective is to help growers and PCAs combat these pests by developing cultural and biological pest management control options, improving monitoring systems and finding innovative technology that helps our industry manage pests in ways that minimize the overall environmental impact and keep pests under economic thresholds,” Wolter said.
As an example of innovative technology up for consideration, Wolter cited the potential to use an electrostatic current to control weeds – essentially zapping weeds – as well as the use of super-heated air to control weeds, as is done in the grape industry.
He also is enthusiastic about new biological control options such as the use of peptides to control pests in the order of Lepidoptera, including NOW.
In December, Wolter will receive his master's degree in horticulture and agronomy with an emphasis in weed science from UC Davis. He said he looks forward to sharing the knowledge he's gained as a researcher with growers in practical ways that allow them to easily apply certain methods in their orchards.
“With my background in ecology, I look at the biology of the pest, together with the environment and crop, to add new approaches to the tried and true conventional tools for pest management in almond orchards. Further, my specific background in weed science will help our ABC team find new ways of thinking about orchard floor management by focusing on the biology and phenology of weed species while simultaneously looking to introduce technology and/or products that minimizes the use of conventional herbicides,” Wolter said.
While some common applications used to control weeds – specifically, glyphosate and glufosinate – face growing regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and abroad, Wolter is looking forward to assisting growers in finding alternatives that are effective and affordable.
Almonds from 9-5, fruits after hours
Wolter's passion for growing and providing nutritious food for others to enjoy doesn't clock off when he does at the end of the workday. Instead, Wolter spends much of his personal time tending to his home gardens, which dominate both the front and back yards of his home in Sacramento. He and his wife Harpal grow seasonal and perennial crops such as figs, guava, peach, plum and citrus mandarin orange trees.
“We like to eat what we grow, but we also donate a lot of it to food banks and homeless shelters,” Wolter said.
While he doesn't have an almond tree in his yard, almonds still are a big part of his diet.
“They are such a versatile nut,” Wolter said. “My wife and I use almond flour to bake most of our goods, as a breading for fish and poultry, and to make homemade almond butter.”
Wolter is bilingual, learning Spanish as a child in Costa Rica, where he lived until he was 8 years old. His family then moved to the Santa Barbara area, where he attended high school and community college before transferring to UC Davis. Beyond exercising his green thumb in his free time, Wolter enjoys hiking and backpacking, especially in the Tahoe/Donner area or in Kings Canyon. The Wolters are expecting their first child, a boy, in March.
Original source: IN THE ORCHARD | Nov. 6, 2020
Drew Wolter is a graduate student in Brad Hanson's Lab (Weed Science Program, Dept. of Plant Sciences) at UC Davis.