Pesticide recertification
A group of area farmers found themselves back in the classroom recently as they attended a University of Minnesota Extension workshop to recertify themselves to apply pesticides on their crops.
While pesticide application to crops is a normal part of agriculture, many non-farmers probably don’t realize that there is a program that farmers must complete before they can apply the chemicals. The group of farmers gathered recently at the Blooming Prairie City Hall were completing a mandatory three-and-a-half-hour class that would recertify them to apply pesticides, said Karen Anderson, an Extension educator for Rice and Steele Counties.
Similar workshops are being conducted throughout south central and southeastern Minnesota this winter, she said, with a similar class in Dodge Center Feb. 5.
The certification process applies to those who use “restricted” pesticides, Anderson said, explaining that does not include the common pesticides one applies to their lawn.
Every farmer who applies pesticide to their crop must have a Private Pesticide Applicator Certification, she said.
Under the rules, which are established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and managed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, there are three type of certification an individual can obtain.
One classification is for those who apply pesticides to their own land which they either own or rent. A second deals with those who apply pesticides to an employers’ land and the third for those commercial operators who work on a customer’s land.
The group attending the Blooming Prairie session were local farmers dealing with their own land.
To attend the workshop, she said, the individual had to already have completed the initial course and completed a pesticide applicators test.
The initial certification is good for three years. Every three years the individual needs to attend one of the workshops, or if they prefer, can take a test online or complete it as a home study course.
During the course of the morning, Ryan Miller, an extension educator from the Rochester Regional Office, walked the group through a variety of topics including pesticide laws, regulations and record keeping, personal protective equipment, applicator health effect and application equipment.
The rules for attending the recertification course are specific, including the provision that anyone to come to the session 15 minutes late or leaves early will not receive recertification. Those who do complete the entire workshop are permitted to apply the chemicals to their crops for another three years before recertification is again necessary.
State and federal agencies have given increased attention to the application of these chemicals over the years.
Responsible management of pests and pesticides is essential to public health, safety and environmental protection, and has emerged as a priority for national security, officials with the Extension Department said. The extension programs provide expertise important in many Minnesota industries, they said.