Werling will provide commercial vegetable program coverage primarily in Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Newaygo and Ottawa counties, and began his duties on Dec. 1, 2012. He will be housed in the Oceana County MSU Extension Office located in Hart.

Werling comes to the West Michigan area from East Lansing, were he currently works with the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University. Werling holds a PhD in Entomology from the University of Wisconsin. His research included work on potato and onion pest control as well as work with biofuel crops.

Werling is excited about working with the vegetable growers in the West Michigan area and looks forward to kicking off his tenure with MSU Extension by meeting growers attending the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids this coming December.

MSU Extension helps people improve their lives through an educational process that applies knowledge to critical needs, issues and opportunities in regard to families, youth, agriculture and natural resources around Michigan.

For more information about MSU Extension, visit the MSU Extension Web site at www.msue.msu.edu. or, contact your county office by calling 888-678-3464.