The USDA Agricultural Research Service’ National Program on Veterinary, Medical, and Urban Entomology has the mission to develop more effective means to eliminate or suppress insects and ticks that harm agricultural animals and humans. They request input from stakeholders on what they can do better to perform research on the control of insects and ticks that affect livestock, poultry, and people.

In the past, as a way of gaining input, every five years the Agricultural Research Service’s Veterinary, Medical, and Urban Entomology Program held a stakeholder workshop to discuss program objectives. As a result of cost savings initiatives, they are pleased to announce a change from a physical meeting to a virtual location, which allows them to reach a larger audience while also saving tax dollars.

There are two ways you can provide your input:

1) Via the recently launched Open.Gov website

2) By webinar participation (see below).

The Open.Gov website requires registration to post ideas or comments. They would appreciate your thoughts on the research we should perform during the next five year cycle (2014-2019). Click here for the website.

To post ideas and comments, you must register first (top right hand corner).

• There is a tan colored box on the top right-hand corner that says “Register”
• After registering, Login entering the email username and password you registered with (top left)
• Click on the IdeaSpace topic (Left-hand side of page) you wish to comment on and then click on New Idea located on the upper right side of the page.
• Be sure to click on Save Idea when you have completed posting your comment.
• You will then need to click on the next IdeaSpace topic to enter new comments.

You may also choose to attend one or more of their webinars. The webinars will discuss the same question in Opengov, consisting of a short introduction and an open discussion revolving around five different topics. The dates and topics of discussion are as follows:

• February 19, 2013, 3 pm – 5 pm (EST): Research toward registration and licensing of products
• February 20, 2013, 3 pm – 5 pm (EST): Research on protecting the public from insects and ticks
• February 21, 2013, 3 pm – 5 pm (EST): Research on protecting the military from insects and ticks
• February 22, 2013, 3 pm – 5 pm (EST): Research on protecting livestock and poultry from insects and pests
• February 25, 2013, 3 pm – 5 pm (EST): Research on protecting agriculture and the public from damage caused by invasive species of ants

Since stakeholder input is a critical part of the Agricultural Research Service’ research planning cycle, and with this approach we can widen the range of input, please feel free to pass this invitation on to colleagues who may be interested.

For further information about the Veterinary, Medical, and Urban Entomology National Program, please visit them at http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/programs/programs.htm?NP_CODE=104.

If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Vickery at Kathryn.vickery@ars.usda.gov.