Private pesticide applicator training planned

Greene County Extension will hold its private pesticide applicator recertification training Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm at Clover Hall on the Greene County Fairgrounds in Jefferson.

The training is for any private agricultural crop producers in the state of Iowa who apply restricted-use pesticide on property they own or rent. Those applicators in Greene County who are currently certified should have received a brochure in November about the event. Please be sure to bring your brochure with you to the training, as it contains your certification number, which is required to receive credit for attending. If you cannot locate your brochure, please come with your most updated license, which includes your certification number.

Registration opens at 1 pm on the day of the event. No pre-registration is required, but participants must be in their seats no later than 1:30 pm. Please plan to arrive at least 10-15 minutes early to ensure you are properly registered to receive credit for the training. No late entrants will be admitted. Snacks and refreshments will be provided by Home State Bank. Greene County’s spring session is scheduled for Tuesday, March 15.

If you are a new private pesticide applicator not yet certified with the State of Iowa, you will not be able to receive credit at this training, but must first take an exam administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. You can purchase a study guide for the test and find out more information about testing sites at the Extension office. A test is also required for any applicator who missed their training last year. If you take and pass the test, you are certified for three years without needing to attend other courses during that time. After those three years, you may attend these trainings annually to maintain certification.

Contact the Greene County Extension office at 515-386-2138 or email Laura Ballard at lballard@iastate.edu for more details on in-county and out-of-county sessions. For more information about Greene County Extension, including other agriculture and natural resources programming, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/greene.

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