By Steven Ress, Communications Coordinator
Nebraska Water Center, Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute
Pesticide safety education training sessions start in January for Nebraska's
private pesticide applicators seeking first-time certification or recertification for licenses expiring in 2015. Those interested should contact their local University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension office for information on these training sessions.
Pesticide applicators with private licenses can buy and use restricted-use pesticides on their own farming operations after completing the training. Statewide, around 3,500 private applicators are eligible for recertification in 2015.
In taking the training, applicators will learn about "Nebraska's pesticide laws and regulations, the pesticide label, personal safety, worker protection standard, environmental protection, integrated pest management, pesticides and application, application equipment, and equipment calibration," according to Clyde Ogg, UNL Extension pesticide safety educator.
Updates covered in the 2015 training include spill management, proper glove handling, pesticide disposal and storage, updates to the Driftwatch website to protect sensitive sites from windblown pesticides, water quality effects on pesticide performance, and an update from UNL cropping systems specialist Greg Kruger on nozzle drift prevention technology and spray nozzle selection.
Private applicators needing recertification in 2015 should have received an expiration notice letter from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) in mid-December. The letter includes a barcode, which eliminates the need to complete the standard NDA application form for those recertifying. Applicators should bring the letter with them to training sessions to avoid having to fill-out the application form.
"All persons eligible for recertification will be notified by their local UNL Extension office of recertification training sessions in their area," Ogg said.
Current licensed applicators should check the expiration date on their license. If it expires in 2015 and they have not yet received a letter from NDA, contact them at 402-471-2351 or 877-800-4080.
UNL Extension provides the educational training for initial certification and recertification, while NDA is responsible for licensing. For a list of training sessions, sites and dates, contact your nearest UNL Extension office or go online to http://pested.unl.edu/privateschedule, where applicators will find training
sites for private applicators listed by county. Cost of UNL training is $30 per person.
Applicators may also certify through completing an online course, completing a self-study manual, or attending and participating in a UNL Extension Crop Production Clinic. Cost of for the online course and self-study options is $60 while the Crop Production Clinic is $65.
Pesticide applicators can purchase access to the online course via
http://marketplace.unl.edu/pested.
After completing the training, certification applications will be sent to NDA which will then send a bill to the applicator for the $25 state license fee. The private self-study manual is available from local Extension offices. Crop Production Clinics are conducted in January at locations across the state. For more information and a schedule visit http://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc.
Source:unl.edu