Resources for Small Farms

As a small farmer, you balance many responsibilities. You may raise livestock, keep bees, grow produce, and more. You may be your own marketer, distributer, and bookkeeper. You also make choices about when to use pesticides, and what pesticides to use.

NPIC has resources to make your job easier:

We have a library of pesticide information that can help you choose pesticides with lower risk.
We can help you understand the impact of pesticides on the health of your family, animals, and wildlife.
We have contact information for other resources that may help you and your farm.

Learn more from the following:

Many small farmers work where they live. These resources have information about reducing the risks of pesticides for you and your family.

NPIC: Pesticides: What's my risk?
NPIC: Minimizing Exposure at Work
NPIC: Infographic: Avoid pesticide exposure with protective clothing
NPIC: How can I wash out pesticides from dirty work clothes?
NPIC: Pesticide Drift
NPIC: What is the Worker Protection Standard?

Resources for help reading and interpreting pesticide labels:

NPIC: Reading Pesticide Labels
NPIC: Signal Words

More about pesticides and their ingredients:

NPIC: Pesticide Product Search Tool
NPIC: Herbicide Properties Tool
NPIC: Pesticide Formulations
NPIC: Label and SDS Databases
NPIC: Specific Chemical (Active Ingredient) Information

How to store and dispose of pesticides:

NPIC: Storage of Pesticides
NPIC: Disposal of Pesticides

NPIC: What happens to pesticides released into the environment?
NPIC: Drinking water and pesticides
NPIC: Ecotoxicology

Resources about pesticides and bees:

NPIC: Pollinator Protection
University of California: IPM Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings
Pacific Northwest Extension: How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides

Pest identification and biology are important parts of integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce pest problems. Find a local or regional expert who can help.

NPIC: Agricultural Integrated Pest Management
NPIC: State Contacts for University Extension and Local Pest Fact Sheets
USDA: Regional IPM Centers
USPest.org: IPM Pest and Plant Disease Models and Forecasting
University of California, Statewide IPM Program: Agricultural Pests

NPIC: Find Local Contacts
NPIC: County Extension Offices
NPIC: State Contacts for Master Gardeners
NPIC: Contacts for Pesticide Applicators and Workers
NPIC: State Contacts for OSHA

Select State Programs:

University of California Extension: Small Farms Program
University of Florida: Small Farms & Alternative Enterprises
Cornell University: Small Farms Program
Oregon State University Extension: Small Farms Program

If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 800-858-7378 or email us at npic@oregonstate.edu.

Last updated June 29, 2026