Lana Koepke Johnson | Agronomy and Horticulture
Clyde Ogg, Extension Educator in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, received a Life Membership in the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators in recognition of dedicating his professional career to pesticide safety education.
Earning both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in entomology at Nebraska, Ogg promotes Integrated Pest Management and has been actively involved with the Entomological Society of America for more than 25 years.
Pesticide safety has been the focus of Ogg’s entire career. He joined the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1986 as an entomology research technician. In 1993 he joined the Pesticide Safety Education Program and was named coordinator in 2007. He currently leads a six-member team that develops and delivers educational materials to enable nearly 20,500 pesticide applicators and farmers and 11,000 commercial and noncommercial applicators to purchase and use restricted use pesticides.
Ogg is a charter member of AAPSE and has been active in the organization since 1993. Since 2014, he has been the chair of the Articles of Incorporation and By-laws Committee and a member since 2008. In 2010 he led PSEP in hosting the North Central Regional Pesticide Education and Certification Workshop in Nebraska. He secured grant funds from the PSEP Improvement and Modernization Initiative and AAPSE to host the National Manual Development Workshop held in Nebraska in 2014. He was a North Central Regional Representative from 2007 to 2009. Ogg has also served on planning committees for many conferences and workshops held throughout the United States.
Ogg has been a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Exam and Manual Development Committee, Pesticide Certification and Training Assessment, EPA’s National IPM in Schools Working Group, North Central Region IPM in Schools Working Group, IPM Institute of North America and EPA’s Region VII Manuals Workgroup. He co-led Nebraska’s IPM Coalition, consisting of 60 members who met quarterly to discuss educational topics and address pest management questions and solutions.
Each year Ogg has provided radio interviews, news releases and articles to alert the public, producers and crop consultants of educational opportunities and information on pesticide issues. He has shared his knowledge and expertise on eXtension’s "Ask the Expert" web site. He has also provided training, workshops, audits and resources to sensitive and underserved populations such as Tribal Nations, schools and childcare centers in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.
Ogg has authored, co-authored and directed more than 100 Extension NebGuides, Extension Circulars, Z-Mags, training manuals and other curricular materials on pesticide safety. He was instrumental in developing and presenting hands-on termite control in schools for pest management professionals in Nebraska and nearby states. His team also converted Nebraska’s certification and training materials for 19 commercial categories and private applicator record keeping forms to digital format.
"Clyde’s creativity added a special dimension to PSEP at the University of Nebraska that enhanced the program’s success," said Larry Schulze, pesticide education professor emeritus and retired Nebraska Extension pesticide education specialist.
"His accomplishments in program delivery via digital technology has given Nebraska's PSEP unparalleled national recognition not seen at other universities. His creativity in PSEP educational material development has been shared and adopted among his peers across the U.S." Schulze said.
In 2008, Ogg received the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture’s Gold Award for Best Innovative use of Communication Technology, the ACE Outstanding Professional Skill Award for Information Technology and the Entomology Educational Project Award, Board Certified Entomologists of Mid-America. In 2012, the EPA presented him with the PestWise IPM Innovator Award.
Ogg was honored with two awards in 2018. He received the Nebraska State Pest Control Association’s Distinguished Service award in recognition of his contributions and leadership. AAPSE also honored him with the AAPSE Fellow Award, the highest recognition honoring superior service to AAPSE and achievement in education, certification, public service, research, personal achievement and recognition.
Ogg is credited for making Nebraska’s PSEP program one of the best in the nation. He is highly respected for his collaborations with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, and other state and federal agencies and entities, with regard to pesticide safety, laws and regulations and his willingness to share his extensive expertise, experience and materials with others, both within and outside Nebraska.
Ogg plans to retire from PSEP in December. Spending more time with his wife and grandkids is at the top of his long list of post-retirement activities. Boating, fishing, hiking and rock picking at their Michigan lake house, making travel plans and the many house projects on their to-do list will keep him happily busy in this next phase of life. He also plans to stay active with AAPSE.
AAPSE Life Membership is a special honor bestowed on those who have given their life's calling to pesticide safety education. Life members continue to serve the organization in this capacity and are entitled to receive publications, participate in regional and national meetings, hold office, serve as regional Board representatives, and serve on Association committees.
