The weather has officially brought us winter so the OSU Extension Office Fayette County phones have been buzzing with questions and registration for the Private Pesticide Recertification Program.
Private Pesticide applicators will have the opportunity to attend a recertification workshop on Jan. 26 at JD Equipment, 1662 US Highway Route 62, Washington Court House. The program will begin at 9 a.m. with the pesticide training and will end at noon.
The training will be conducted by Ohio State University Extension Educators and will fulfill the three hours which is required for the recertification of an applicator’s private license. The cost of this training is $35 and can be paid based on how you register. To register for this event, interested individuals can go online at www.pested.osu.edu. Under the pull down menu for “Private Applicator,” you can find Fayette County and click on the county. The new screen will give you a list of other recertification programs as well as the program on Jan. 26.
Follow through the registration menu and you can complete your registration and include your credit card information and you are registered. Other forms of registration are available by completing the recertification application and sending that registration with a check to the Ohio Department of Agriculture or by stopping by the Extension Office to register for the training and pay the $35 to the Extension Office.
Also included during the Jan. 26 program is the opportunity to add the fertilizer certification to your pesticide license. The fertilizer program will be a two-hour program beginning at 1 p.m. and concluding at 3 p.m. The fertilizer certificate is for individuals who apply more than 50 acres of fertilizer per year and already have a pesticide license. This can be done at no additional charge for the training or certificate. Any questions or concerns can be directed to Ken Ford at 740-335-1150 or at [email protected].
If you are an individual that does not have or you do not need to have a pesticide applicator’s license but do apply fertilizer (except manure) to 50 acres or more each year, a separate three-hour Fertilizer Certification Program is available on March 11 at Wilmington College. It is possible that producers will apply fertilizer to pastures or crop land and not need the pesticide license. This can be confusing but the Ohio Department of Agriculture is trying to accommodate all types of producers. The training for the fertilizer certificate is free but once the training is complete a $30 certificate fee is due to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, if a pesticide license is already held, the fertilizer fee is waived.
Are you a producer that has never gotten a private pesticide applicator’s license? Anyone who applies pesticides on their farm is required to have a private pesticide applicator’s license. To complete the process for a producer to receive their private pesticide applicator’s license it requires the individual to stop by the Ohio State University Extension Office to purchase the necessary study materials, study the materials and when ready, register with the Ohio Department of Agriculture for a test.
Various test sites are available around the state with various testing dates. The information, the study materials required, links to the application and more are all located on the www.pested.osu.edu website. There is a pull down menu for “Private Applicators” and a link to licensing.
Another option for the first time person to consider; do I get a private license or a commercial license? Some younger and first time pesticide applicators are choosing to complete the requirements for their commercial license. The commercial license allows producers to apply pesticides to their own fields and allows for the option to apply custom applications for other producers.
The recertification requirements involve five hours of recertification during the three-year license period at an Ohio Department of Agriculture Commercial Recertification program versus only three hours of recertification for the same license period for a private applicator. But it gives you an option to help another producer with their application of pesticides. The same www.pested.osu.edu website can be used to begin the commercial applicator’s licensing process. For this license use the “Commercial License” pull down menu and follow the link to the licensing process. With the commercial license, study information will be sent directly to you from the Ohio Department Agriculture after completing the registration form and you have paid your $30 license fee.
Once you have studied the materials you can register for a test which is available to take at various locations around the state. Once the tests are passed you will receive your license. Multiple attempts to pass the tests are available at no additional charges. There is a lot of information on these different licenses and certifications and the information can be confusing.
Please do not hesitate to contact Ken Ford at 740-335-1150 or at [email protected] to help clarify which avenue you should take as a producer and which certification is right for your operation.
