Steve Young

National Program Leader

Weeds and Invasive Pests Crop Production and Protection Office of National Programs Email: stephen.young@usda.gov Phone: 301-504-6252 Fax: 301-504-6191

Research The focus of my work has been to address the why and how questions related to improving the management practices of natural and agricultural ecosystems. My primary interest is in weedy and invasive plants, but similar lines of research could be applied to challenges in the associated fields of entomology, plant pathology, soil microbiology, restoration ecology, agronomy, animal science, and human nutrition. By developing management approaches that account for the ecology and biology of systems at a range of scales, environmental and human health can be sustained over the long term along with profitability. My ultimate goal is to provide science-based information that people can use to understand how to better manage systems and think critically about the techniques and practices, which are needed to protect the land and support livelihoods both now and in the future.

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• National Program Leader For ARS Projects

  Project Title
  Area-wide Management of Agricultural Pests
  Using Aerial Application and Remote Sensing Technologies for Targeted Spraying of Crop Protection Products
  Endemic Plant Pathogens for Biological Control of Invasive Aquatic and Terrestrial Weeds
  Next-Generation Approaches for Monitoring and Management of Stored Product Insects
  Resilience of Integrated Weed Management Systems to Climate Variability in Midwest Crop Production Systems
  Forecasting, Outbreak Prevention, and Ecology of Grasshoppers and Other Rangeland and Crop Insects in the Great Plains
  Discovery and Development of Microbial-Based Biological Control Agents for Use Against Invasive Weeds in the United States
  Weed Biology and Development of Improved Management Technologies for Invasive and Herbicide-Resistant Weeds
  Development and Implementation of Biological Control Programs for Natural Area Weeds in the Southeastern United States
  Development of Ecological Strategies for Invasive Plant Management and Rehabilitation of Western Rangelands
  Novel Weed Management Tools from Natural Product-Based Discoveries
  Precision Integrated Weed Management in Conventional and Organic Crop Production Systems
  Integrated Weed Management and Restoration Strategies to Protect Water Resources and Aquatic and Wetland Ecosystems of the Far Western U.S.
  Biological Control and Habitat Restoration for Invasive Weed Management
  Integrate Vegetative Bud-based Propagation and Seeds in Restoration of Rangeland Native Plant Communities
  Biological Control of Invasive Pests in Agroecosystems and Wetland, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystems in the Far Western U.S.

Professional Preparation

INSTITUTION	MAJOR/AREA OF STUDY	DEGREE	YEAR(s)
University of California, Davis	Soils & Biogeochemistry	Ph.D.	2007
University of Idaho	Plant Science	M.S.	2000
Washington State University	Horticulture	B.S.	1996

      

Appointments

2021 - present	National Program Leader, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD
2018 - 2021	Assistant Professor, Utah State University, Logan, UT
2015 - 2018	Adjunct Assistant Professor, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2014 - 2018	Director, Northeastern IPM Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2010 - 2014	Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska, North Platte, NE
2008 - 2010	Post Doctoral Research Assistant, Washington State University, Prosser, WA

Publications (selected)

1. Young SL (2020) A unifying approach for IWM. Weed Science 68:435-436. https://doi.org/10.1017/wsc.2020.60
2. Young SL, Kettenring KM (2020) The social-ecological system driving effective invasive plant management: two case studies of non-native Phragmites. Journal of Environmental Management 2020 Aug 1; 267:110612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110612
3. Young SL (2018) Beyond precision weed control: a model for true integration. Weed Technology 32(1):7-10.
4. Young SL, Clements DR, DiTommaso A (2017) Climate dynamics, invader fitness, and biotic resistance in an invasion-factor framework. Invasive Plant Science and Management 10(3): 215-231
5. Volesky JD, Young SL, Jenkins KH (2016) Cattle grazing effects on Phragmites australis in Nebraska. Invasive Plant Science and Management 9(2):121-127.
6. Young SL (2015) When an invasive plant fails to invade. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13(8):450-451.
7. Han C, Young SL (2014) Drought and grazing disturbances and resistance to invasion by warm- and cool-season perennial grassland communities. Ecological Restoration 32:28-36.
8. Young SL, Pierce FJ, Nowak P (2014) Introduction: Scope of the problem – rising costs and demand for environmental safety for weed control. InYoung SL, Pierce FJ (eds) Automation: The Future of Weed Control in Cropping Systems. New York: Springer, pp. 1-10
9. Young SL, Giles DK (2014) Targeted and microdose chemical applications. InYoung SL, Pierce FJ (eds) Automation: The Future of Weed Control in Cropping Systems New York: Springer, pp. 139-150
10. Young SL, Meyer GE, Woldt W (2014) Future directions for automated weed management in precision agriculture. InYoung SL, Pierce FJ (eds) Automation: The Future of Weed Control in Cropping Systems New York: Springer, pp. 249-260
11. Han C, Young SL (2013) Ecology of musk thistle (Carduus nutans) seed germination for grasslands of temperate climates. Weed Science 61:549-556.
12. Young SL (2012) True integrated weed management. Weed Research 52:107-111.
13. Young SL, Kyser GB, et al (2011) The role of light and soil moisture in resistance to invasion by yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis). Restoration Ecology 19:599-606.
14. Young SL, Kyser GB, et al (2010) Spatio-temporal relationship between water depletion and root distribution patterns of Centaurea solstitialis and two native perennials. Restoration Ecology 18:323-333.
15. Young SL JN Barney, et al (2009) Functionally similar species confer greater resistance to invasion: implications for grassland restoration. Restoration Ecol. 17(6):884-892.
16. Young SL and VP Claassen (2008) Native perennial grasses in highway medians: pre- and post-plant techniques for establishment in a Mediterranean climate. Invasive Plant Science and Management 1(4):368-375.
17. Young SL (2004) Natural product herbicides for control of annual vegetation along roadsides. Weed Technology 18(3):580-587.