Erin Jones to serve Bailey, Castro and Parmer counties
Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Charles Allen, 325-653-4576, ctallen@ag.tamu.edu
MULESHOE – The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has named Erin Jones as its new integrated pest management agent for Bailey, Castro and Parmer counties.
Jones, who will be headquartered at the AgriLife Extension office in Bailey County, started work March 3.
Jones will be working with area farmers, scouting fields for pests and helping growers find solutions to insect pest, weed and crop disease challenges, said Dr. Charles Allen, AgriLife Extension state integrated pest management coordinator at San Angelo.
“We are very pleased to have Erin join us here on the South Plains,” Allen said. “She is very familiar with the area, the agriculture and the AgriLife system. She brings with her a wealth of practical experience in pest identification and best-management practices. Her experiences have prepared her to quickly become a ‘go to’ resource for farmers.
“Working with AgriLife Extension agents and specialists, we expect that Erin will soon be a respected part of the ag community, helping farmers manage pests in an effective and environmentally responsible manner.”
He said the timing of her appointment is ideal because she will be able to adjust to her role before the new crop season.
Jones earned a bachelor’s in plant, soil and environmental science and a master’s in biology from West Texas A&M University at Canyon.
Jones previously worked with Dr. Jerry Michels, retired Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist, as research associate at Bushland. Her duties included identifying pests and beneficial insects in wheat, corn, sorghum, cotton, potatoes and vegetable crops.
During her time at Bushland, Allen said Jones developed a familiarity with the diseases of crops grown in the Panhandle. Her expertise includes weed identification and control, greenhouse maintenance, and student worker and technician training, coordination and supervision.
Her previous work experience included work with the salt cedar biological control program under the supervision of Michels. Jones worked with the leaf-feeding beetle, which was introduced to reduce the thick stands of invasive salt cedar growing on the Canadian River and at Lake Meredith in the Panhandle region.
Her professional honors include the Texas A&M University Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence and The Friends of Southern IPM Pulling Together Award for her work with the salt cedar biocontrol team.
For more information, contact Allen at 325-653-4576.
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