Blog Archives
Certifications & Trainings
I’ve received several questions about various certifications, so sharing on that. In the next few weeks, those of you in this part of the State will also receive our Extension winter program mailing with info.
Private Pesticide Applicator Training is for those who purchase and/or use restricted use pesticides on land you own/rent. Those desiring initial certification or recertification have the same options:
1-Attend a face to face training.
2-Take the online training at https://pested.unl.edu/certification-and-training (available after Jan. 1)
3-Attend a Crop Production Clinic (need to stay the entire day) https://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc
Commercial/Noncommercial Applicator Training is for those who apply pesticides on other people’s ground and receive a payment for those applications. Trainings and testing dates available after Jan. 1.
Initial certification involves purchasing the books in the categories you wish to be certified in. All need to be certified in the general standards (00) category in addition to the specific application category. You then have choices of walk-in testing, attending a training session, or taking the test at a computer center. Info. on the commercial/non-commercial tab at: https://pested.unl.edu/certification-and-training.
Recertification training for those with the Ag Pest Control-Plant category (01) is to attend our Crop Production Clinics. The closest to this area include Jan. 10 near Mead, Jan. 11 in Beatrice, Hastings on Jan. 17, and York on Jan. 19. Last year I enjoyed how we revamped the Mead and York locations to make them more hands-on. Unfortunately, they didn’t choose to keep that format and I mention that so you’re not expecting the new format at York this year. Info at: https://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc. Recertification for other categories can be found at: https://pested.unl.edu/certification-and-training.
Spray Drone Certification is a question I’ve received several times. I asked Elizabeth Smith with NDA to specify requirements, “For drone applications the pilot will need to have the same level of certification as our fix winged aerial applicators (FAA Part 107): If they are applying an RUP (restricted use product) they need the applicator licensed with 00, 12, and any additional category for the line of work they would be in outside of Ag Plant which is included in the category 12 exam (ex: Ornamental and Turf, Right of Way, Aquatic). They would also then need the aerial business license unless they are only applying on land they own/lease. Drone operators need to fly under a commercial or noncommercial license as we cannot issue the aerial category to a private applicator license. As always they would also need to ensure there are no label restrictions on the product they intend to apply such as “Do not apply aerially”. For general use products (GUP) they do not need an applicator license but may still need the business license if they intend to apply on property other than their own.”
Chemigation is for anyone who applies fertilizer and/or chemicals through water systems like pivots and subsurface drip irrigation. Options for initial and recertification include face-to-face meetings and online testing at: https://water.unl.edu/article/agricultural-irrigation/chemigation.
Dicamba and Paraquat training are offered by the manufacturing companies. Info. on dicamba training here: https://nda.nebraska.gov/pesticide/dicamba.html. Info. on paraquat training here (English & Spanish): https://campus.extension.org/login/index.php
Worker Protection Standard training materials can be found at https://www.pesticideresources.org/wps/full-library/#categories:training-materials. At this site, use the drop-down menu and select the “role” of those being trained. There are different training requirements for ‘workers’ vs. ‘handlers’.
Additional Certifications
Joy, Comfort, Hope. Three words the Pastors at my church have been preaching on this month. Been thinking about those impacted with much loss by the recent disasters of tornadoes out east and the wildfires and winds in Kansas. Also thinking about so many who have lost loved ones this year and the difficulty of holidays with those losses. There’s also plenty else going on in the world! All around us, people can sure use some joy, comfort, and hope right now! And thankfully, this time of year reminds us of that for those of us who celebrate Christmas; The Hope of the World came down to earth to be born to die so we can live! This Christmas may we have eyes to see those who are hurting, hands willing to help how we can, and hearts ready to share the hope within us. Have a blessed Christmas!
Pesticide Applicator Certification: Last week, I shared about changes to private pesticide applicator certification. Just to clarify, private applicators are purchasing and using restricted use pesticides on land they farm. Private applicators cannot apply to others’ land and receive a payment as they would then be considered commercial applicators. Private applicators can trade services by applying pesticides to other people’s land as long as money is not exchanged (ex. other party plants a field for the applicator in exchange for the applicator spraying his/her field).
Fumigation is no longer a topic we can teach with private pesticide training. The new law states that those who wish to fumigate need to obtain that specific certification by obtaining study materials and passing an exam (in addition to the private applicator training also required) . The fumigation materials and exam dates are the same ones commercial applicators have to take and are found at https://pested.unl.edu/ under the “commercial/non-commercial” study materials and exam sessions.
Commercial and Non-Commercial applicators are receiving payment to apply pesticides to other people’s ground (for non-commercial applicators, it’s a requirement of their job). To obtain initial certification, one has to purchase study materials for the categories the applicator wishes to apply (ex. ag plant, fumigation, etc.). All commercial and non-commercial initial applicators need to pass an exam that includes General Standards (category 00) and whatever additional certification the person is seeking. Go to https://pested.unl.edu/ and in the right-hand column, it lists certification information for commercial/non-commercial applicators. It has a direct link for the study materials and also a link for the exam sites. For recertification, the most common one for those working in ag industry would be Ag Pest Control-Plant (Category 01). The easiest way to do recertification, and what we recommend, is to attend a Crop Production Clinic. There’s one in York on Jan. 26 but you can find them all listed at https://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc. For recertification in other categories, an exam needs to be taken and passed; the dates are found at the https://pested.unl.edu/ website.
RUP Dicamba Training: Extension is not providing RUP dicamba training. This is being provided by the companies who sell RUP dicamba. Most of these are online and the 2022 trainings may not be on the websites yet. Below are the links for reference. One more thing that NDA wished us to share, any RUP dicamba product on hand that was formulated prior to 2021 is considered off-label as it doesn’t meet the updated EPA approved labels and cannot be used.
- Bayer (XtendiMax): https://www.roundupreadyxtend.com/stewardship/pages/default.aspx
- BASF (Engenia): https://www.engeniaherbicide.com/training.html
- Syngenta (Tavium): https://www.syngenta-us.com/herbicides/tavium-application-stewardship
Chemigation Training is for anyone who applies fertilizer and/or pesticides through an irrigation system. There is no charge for this training, but one does need to pass an exam whether for initial or recertification. Training and the exam can be done either at an in-person training or online for both initial and recertification. You can find the links for both options in the right-hand column of the https://pested.unl.edu/ website.
JenResources 