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The earliest record of pesticide safety education in Virginia, and likely in the United States, dates to February 15, 1889 when Professor WilliamBradford Alwood taught this subject to Albemarle County fruit growers. VTPP (Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs) was established in 1964 as part of the Virginia Tech Extension Division. It was formerly named the Chemical, Drug and Pesticide Unit. The unit was established to manage pesticide safety programs, pesticide recommendations, occupational health programs, drug abuse education, and poison prevention programs through Cooperative Extension. It was Extension's primary resource for farm and consumer inquiries about chemicals and their safety. Today our role focuses on environmental protection and public safety associated with the use of pesticides and agricultural chemicals. In addition to Virginians, our stakeholder base is regional, national, and international.
W. B. Alwood - 1888
Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs serves the citizens of the Commonwealth through Virginia Cooperative Extension. We are located in Blacksburg, Virginia at Virginia Tech in the Department of Entomology. Our department is part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
We provide educational opportunities and information to people who use pesticides as part of their livelihood, to consumers with questions about the use and impact of pesticides in their everyday lives, to students at Virginia Tech and at other institutions, and to policymakers such as local, state, and federal government regulators and legislators. Most of our work involves outreach and Extension work in the commonwealth, regionally and through international programs in integrated pest management (IPM). In addition, we teach in the undergraduate and graduate programs at Virginia Tech. We also conduct research to seek knowledge of the impact of regulation on pest management and to determine the effects of the historical use of pesticides on the environment and human health.
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