USDA-ARS Research Entomologist Named Finalist in the Samuel J. Heyman Service To America Medal

Contact: Kim Kaplan
Email: Kim Kaplan

Washington, May 8, 2023—Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, is being honored today as a finalist for a 2023 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal (the Sammies) as an Emerging Leader for her pioneering work designing ways to use insects as biological controls for other bugs that damage crops, especially apples and pears, which limits the need for some pesticides, cutting costs for farmers and protecting the environment.

Sometimes, this involves relocating insects from one orchard to another or dropping predators from drones.

Schmidt-Jeffris, who is with the ARS Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research Laboratory in Wapato, Washington, collaborates with orchard growers all over the Pacific Northwest who are the producers of 70 percent of the country's domestic apples—90 percent of the organic apples—and more than 90 percent of the pears. By finding better ways to conserve natural predators of pests that damage fruit, Schmidt-Jeffris' advances are saving growers money and reducing pesticide use. For example, her work conserving predators of apple pest mites makes major contribution to a program that saves the apple industry $16.5 million annually.

Sometimes, growers need to add more predators to their orchards. This is where the drones come in. Since most of what has been known about releasing insects as biocontrols comes from greenhouse studies, much of Schmidt-Jeffris' work has been to figure out which biocontrol insects and methods don't work well in orchards. One technique she is leading the way with involves whether dropping the predators from drones saves growers labor and time, which is critical in the large orchards of Washington.

She has learned through her scientific studies that mealybug destroyer beetles are usually not reliable controllers of mealybugs on apple trees in the orchard, though they have been popular for the job in greenhouses. But she has found growers can use lacewings to control aphids.

ARS research entomologist Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris checking to see how lacewings are doing as a biocontrol of aphids in an apple orchard in Okanogan County, Washington (left, D5106-1). Close up of a lacewing eating aphids, a major pest of apples in Washington state (right - high res image). (Photos by Erica Moretti, ARS and Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris, ARS)

Even better, Schmidt-Jeffris and her colleagues discovered that growers can use inexpensive cardboard tubes to catch earwigs in cherry orchards, where they are notably harmful, and transfer them to apple and pear orchards where they feast on pests without damaging those crops. Growers have enthusiastically been adopting this technique with its two-fisted benefit.

These are among the innovations that helped make Schmidt-Jeffris a finalist for the 2023 Sammie as an Emerging Leader. The Sammies are run by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, which is the premier awards program honoring excellence and innovation in federal service.

"All too often growers have looked at insects as pests to be eliminated, but Schmidt-Jeffris sees complex inter-relations in which insects, growers and valuable orchard crops can all balance one another, and she can develop the kind of scientific road map growers can follow," said Simon Liu, the administrator of the Agricultural Research Service. "Rebecca helps growers get the most value for their dollars spent and decreases wasted money on tactics that do not work."

Liu also pointed out that Schmidt-Jeffris has taken on a leadership role within ARS, setting a "stellar example for other new Agricultural Research Service scientists, especially for women pursuing careers in STEM." 

In addition, as a category finalist, Schmidt-Jeffris is eligible for the People Choice Award which is voted on by members of the public. The public is encouraged to visit servicetoamericamedals.org and vote for her once each day beginning May 8 to show support for her work.

The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.