The People of IR-4 series introduces extraordinary IR-4 team members, highlighting the incredible contributors who make our success possible, and our community one of a kind. Today, meet Luis E. Almodóvar—Field Research Director at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez in IR-4’s Southern Region. Luis generously took time out of his schedule to share about his background, his role at IR-4, and life outside of work. Thanks, Luis!
From Farm Work to Field Work
Luis E. Almodóvar has been surrounded by agriculture ever since he can remember, hailing from the small town of Camuy, Puerto Rico. Also known as La Ciudad del Sol Taíno (the city of the Taino sun), the small island city has an ideal climate for many tropical crops. Here, agriculture is integral to daily life and family traditions for many residents, including Luis.
“I like agriculture because my father and grandfather taught me. They had two or three avocado trees, tomato plants, and pepper plants on our property that we ate from. From a young age I was involved in the field work at home and I knew I would like to do something in agriculture once I got older.”
Working as a Field Research Director for IR-4, Luis is staying true to his roots. Luis’s work involves conducting a variety of field trials on tropical specialty crops, helping to ensure the success of growers in his community. Luis is known across IR-4 for his big-hearted, benevolent spirit and dedicated work ethic, and for being an excellent collaborator. Beyond the field, quality family time with his wife Janice, and daughter Lydia, are vital to Luis. He also enjoys making his own beer and bourbon with friends at a locally-owned distillery.
Graduation Gowns to Tobacco Fields: Growing Through Experience
Following high school graduation, Luis’s professional journey in agriculture began at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM). Here, Luis studied agricultural science with a focus on agronomic soils; he graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree.
After graduation, Luis moved to Connecticut with his family to work with tobacco for General Cigar Company—an invaluable opportunity to build his field and leadership skills. In this role, Luis managed teams of tobacco farmers at three different locations. Luis is passionate about the tobacco crop, so this position was exciting on a personal level and worth the relocation.
“I love the tobacco crop because working with it is not only a science, it is a passion,” said Luis. “I enjoyed supervising the farmers and working with the crop because it required you to use your senses to feel the crop, smell it, observe the humidity it is exposed to as well as the temperature, and make observations and adjustments. Yes, all those things are what I loved about it!”
Joining Forces: Becoming Part of a Well-Oiled Research Machine
After three years of working in Connecticut, Luis returned to Puerto Rico to continue his career. In November of 1999, Luis joined the team at the UPRM Corozal Agriculture Experiment Station. Then a professor of weed science at UPRM, Wilfredo Robles Vasquez initially hired Luis as a research assistant on a project involving invasive aquatic species. In 2011, Wilfredo became a Field Research Director for IR-4 at UPRM (in addition to serving as the State Liaison Representative for Puerto Rico), and Luis was invited to join him to help coordinate and conduct IR-4 field trials on tropical crops at the Corozal station. Over the years, Luis and Wilfredo have become a dynamic and expert team, well known and beloved across the IR-4 community.
“Wilfredo and I work together in a way that complements each other, “ said Luis.“We stay on the same page, and the same goes for the rest of our team. Everybody has a task to complete and we work together to accomplish goals.”
Today, Luis works as a Field Research Director for IR-4 along with Wilfredo. Luis is responsible for supervising a team of researchers as they conduct field trials on the various tropical specialty crops present at their research sites. Crops studied at the sites include dragonfruit, starfruit, coffee, taro, pineapple, banana and cacao. Luis ensures that all operations run smoothly, from conducting calculations for applications, to maintaining and preparing equipment, to completing the applications correctly and submitting data to IR-4 Headquarters. Luis and his team’s expertise helps ensure the successful completion of trials and the collection of quality data. This data is essential for securing registrations of pest management products for use on tropical specialty crops.
For Luis, the logistics of supervising researchers and conducting trials can vary from day to day, depending on where the trial is held. While Luis’ home base at the Corozal station is located in the North Central part of the island, he also works at other locations, such as Isabela and Lajas, which are in different regions of the island. Conducting trials across varied locations requires significant time and resources; Luis helps ensure his team is prepared to juggle logistics and conduct these trials successfully. Managing trials and resources on an island with many different microclimates creates unique challenges.
“At those stations, you have to be sure to prepare the logistics and equipment for the trial in advance,” explained Luis. “We need the test substance, all the equipment we are going to use in the field, and water. We carry our own water that we will use for the trial from the farm in the central part of the island. The travel isn’t too bad, but this is a whole-day operation for one application.”
Creating Ripples: Work That Helps Beyond the Team
Along with his own professional drive and love for agriculture, Luis is driven by the energy and passion of his fellow IR-4 employees, both on and off the island.
“We share our crops with IR-4 researchers in other states and I have gotten to know those people,” Luis said. “They have shown me their passion for working for the organization. Working together at events like the Food Use Workshop, I often get to meet people working with the same crops as my team, and we can help support the research in their trial with the work we do on the island. I love this work because I am able to help people not just on the island but far and wide with what I do here. As a part of IR-4, you know that you are helping a lot of people.”
As demand for tropical crops and their respective crop protection products increases stateside, the work that is done at the University of Puerto Rico is increasingly valuable. Puerto Rico’s climate, which supports countless tropical specialty crops, allows Luis and his team to support research being done in other tropical and sub-tropical areas in Hawaii, Florida and California. Sometimes their work even fuels a friendly rivalry.
The pressure of weed, insect and disease pests on tropical crops is significant, and securing registrations of pest management products on these crops and in these delicate ecosystems can be challenging. The results being generated by Luis and the team at UPRM are helping to ensure the viability of U.S. tropical crop production—a boon not only to growers, but also to consumers who are increasingly reaching for tropical fruits like mango, avocado, dragonfruit and papaya.
60 Years of IR-4 and Beyond
As IR-4 moves beyond its 60th year, outstanding team members like Luis motivate us to continue delivering on our mission and keeping growers at the heart of our work.
Thank you Luis for taking the time to speak with us, and best of luck in this season’s tropical trials. Sixty (plus) years wouldn’t be possible without you and the rest of the team at University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez!
Are you an IR-4 team member interested in being featured & sharing more about your daily work? Contact our team at ir-4_project@ncsu.edu. We’d love to shine a light on what you do & how it impacts our organizational mission.
About The IR-4 Project
The mission of the IR-4 Project is to facilitate regulatory approval of sustainable pest management technologies for specialty crops and specialty uses to promote public well-being. By working directly with local crop growers across the country, IR-4 conducts research and develops data necessary for the registration of pest management tools, ensuring that they are safe for use. To learn more, visit our website.