Experience:

• 1981 – 1988  Extension Agent IPM, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service
• 1988 – 2006    Extension Agent IPM, Texas Cooperative Extension
• 2006 – Present  Extension Program Specialist II – IPM (Pecans), Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Meetings and Publications:

• Hundreds of county state and local presentations including Texas Pecan Growers Annual Meeting
• 7 Extension Publications
• Monthly articles for Pecan South magazine
• Quarterly articles for The Pecan Grower
• 7-8 Pecan IPM Newsletters each year
• Pecan Kernel website

Collaborative work:

Texas Pecan Growers Association, Western Pecan Growers Association, USDA-ARS, Oklahoma State University, Boston University, Louisiana State University, Pecan Kernel, Pecan ipmPIPE website, PNCforcast website

Scholarly Presentations:

45 presentations at state, national, and international professional meetings

Career IPM Emphasis and Accomplishments:

Development and delivery of pecan IPM information to help pecan growers manage pests in an economically effective and least environmentally disruptive manner. Body of work has included all important insect pests of pecans in the southern and southwestern US, insect and disease complexes, new invasive pests of pecan and changes in pecan pest status. It has also included impact of the impact of trap crops, cover crops, non-toxic management approaches and biologically based insecticides and how these tools can be used in conventional and organic pecan production.

Computer based systems to deliver educational and time-specific management information have been an important focus of the Pecan IPM program. A recent survey has shown that the availability of good information predicting when pecan nut casebearer will begin to cause damage in pecan orchards each year helps producers to prevent losses of $277 per acre. Though the system is being utilized across pecan producing areas of the US, the potential economic impact just on Texas improved pecan orchards by the survey estimates was over $22 million. In addition, the survey indicated that users of the web based programs were able to reduce insecticide application costs by $96 per acre and survey participants estimated the value of the prediction system on reduction in pesticide use on natural enemies and other factors was of $137 per acre.

Scholarly Publications:

Sharpiro-Ilan, D. I., T.E. Cotrell, W.A. Gardner, R.W. Behle, B. Ree  and M.K. Harris. 2009. Efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi in suppressing pecan weevil, Curculio caryae (Coleoptera: Curculionadae), in commercial pecan orchards. Southwestern Entomol. 34: 111-120.

Ree, Bill, Alexandra Gomezplata and Marvin Harris, 2006,  Producer adoption of pecan IPM in Texas. Southwestern Entomol. 31: 322 – 335.

Harris, M., Allen Knutson, Alejandro Calixto, Allen Dean, Lisa Brooks and Bill Ree.  2003. Impact of red imported fire ant on foliar herbivores and natural enemies.  SW  Entomol. Suppl. 27, pp123-134.

Stevenson, D.E. A.E. Knutson, W. Ree, J. A. Jackman, A. Dean, J. H. Matis, J. McVay, M. Nesbit, R. Mizell, J. Dutcher, W. Reid, M. Hall, D. Barlow, M.T. Smith, P. Mulder, M.W. Smith, J.G. Millar, and M.K. Harris, 2003. Pecan nut casebear pheromone monitoring and degree -day model validation across the pecan belt. SW Entomol. Suppl. No. 27, pp. 57-73.

Harris, M., Bill Ree, John Cooper, John Jackman, Joni Young, Ronald Lacewell, and Allen Knutson, 1998, “Economic Impact of Pecan Integrated Pest Management Implementation in Texas”, J.Econ Entomol., 91:1011 – 1020.

Awards

2008    Southern Region IPM Center Outstanding State IPM Program Award (Team)

2008    Southern Region IPM Center, Friend of IPM Educator Award, (Co- recipient with Dr. Marvin Harris, Texas AgriLife Research)

2005    Excellence in IPM Programming Award, Texas Pest Management Association

2000    Outstanding Educator Award, Texas Pecan Growers Association

1995    CLEAN TEXAS 2000 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence (Agriculture, Team)

1995    Texas Agricultural Extension Service Superior Service Award (Team)

1995    TAMUS Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence (Interdisciplinary Team)