The Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center has announced the hiring of Dr. Ken Frost as an assistant professor and extension plant pathologist.
Frost succeeds Phil Hamm as HAREC’s plant pathologist. Hamm, however, will remain as director of HAREC for the “foreseeable future.” Frost’s first day on the job was Friday.
Frost was born and raised in Wisconsin and received his masters of science degree and Ph.D. in plant pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His area of scholarly interests are directed toward improving integrated pest management programs, and include the ecology and epidemiology of insect-vectored plant pathogens, mathematical biology and ecological modeling, and the economics of pest and disease suppression. His most recent work focused on implementing and optimizing weather-based pest and disease forecasting models to inform and enhance management of vegetable crops grown in Wisconsin.
“I am extremely excited to have Dr. Frost on board as the new plant pathologist and look forward to him continuing the tradition of this program to provide information related to plant disease identification and management for Columbia Basin growers and field men,” said Hamm.
Frost’s background also includes working with insect-vectored plant diseases and he has published work on molecular detection of plant pathogens and modeling of insect movement patterns in relation to plant disease.
In Oregon, he plans to perform research that will aid in the development and implementation of integrated pest management programs to enhance the profitability and efficiency of crop production in the Pacific Northwest. In doing so, Frost said he hopes to help the agricultural industry incorporate a combination of novel and traditional disease management approaches that embrace emerging research and technology, consider sustainability and environmentally compatible practices, and, in general, reflect a philosophy of environmental stewardship.
