What is the Western Region IR-4 Program?
The Western Region IR-4 Project coordinates research trials to support pesticide registrations and non-conventional (biological and biopesticide) pest management technologies for specialty crops (food and environmental horticulture). These efforts are essential for delivering effective pest control tools to farmers.
- The Western Region IR-4 is part of the national IR-4 Specialty Crops Project headquartered at North Carolina State University, providing safe and effective pest management solutions for specialty crop growers. The Western Region IR-4 is housed at the University of California, Davis.
- The Western Region includes the Field Office, Analytical Lab and Quality Assurance units.
- Our region addresses crop protection needs for 13 Western States: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY, & The Pacific Island Territories.
- Read about some of our Western Region Projects working with unique western growers.
- We are federally funded by USDA-NIFA and the Land Grant Universities to ensure specialty crop growers gain registered uses of reduced risk crop protection chemicals. The Western Region also receives support from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for projects of specific interest to California specialty crop farmers.
- We have program activities in Food Use, Environmental Horticulture and Integrated Solutions
- Brief history of IR-4 on the UC Davis campus
This material is based upon work supported by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture under project award no. 2025-79111-45234, with substantial cooperation and support from agInnovation (NRSP-4) and USDA-ARS. Additional support is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, under Federal award no. FX26AS-10621C001, and the California Department of Agriculture’s Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in a publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.