The 1-800-PENN-IPM Hotline

The 1-800 PENN IPM hotline provides free non-Internet-based production-related content to growers of specialty crops.  Specialists and educators record messages as needed throughout the growing season.

New this year are a dedicated line for Christmas Tree production and new lines in certain sections listing upcoming Extension events.

To access to this information, dial 1-800 PENN IPM (1-800-736-6476) from a touch-tone landline phone or mobile device and follow the message prompts. The table below lays out the phone tree, and provides the keypresses needed to access each area.

The recordings are designed to be short and to the point to inform callers of critical concerns worth looking into on their farms. For those previously familiar with the service, the 90-second message length limitation has been abolished enabling Extension to offer fuller, more useful content. Messages are still brief - usually clocking in under 4 minutes.

The hotline also provides content for Spanish-speaking listeners. Messages will be translated and posted for vegetables, greenhouse integrated pest management (IPM), small fruit, and tree fruit as available.

Tips for Using the Hotline

1. To connect to the hotline, call 1-800 PENN IPM (1-800-736-6476).
2. Press keys at any time to navigate the system. There is no need to wait until an entire message is played.
3. For subjects that have specialized content, press the key associated with the primary subject first, wait for the sub-menu attendant to begin speaking, then press the key corresponding to the specialized area of interest.
4. Press the "#" key to repeat a message.
5. Press the “*” at any time to cut playing messages short and move one level up in the system.
6. If a line offers a "phone directory" to reach a specialist or educator, selecting that option will redirect the call to their office, exiting the 1-800 PENN IPM system.

Main Menu Overview

The following table lists the options available as of 2025, the keypress to use, and a description of the message content.

^* Traducciones al idioma Español (Spanish-Language Translations)

^** Tree Fruit Team Directory Menu