Private Pesticide Applicator workshop next week

By Staff
August 25, 2004
By Steve Strong / MSU extension service area horticulture
Producers with livestock, timberland, and commercial vegetable operations must be certified in the state of Mississippi to purchase and apply restricted use pesticides. A Private Pesticide Applicator Workshop is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m., at the Lauderdale County Extension Auditorium, in order to certify agricultural producers in need of restricted use pesticides.
Restricted use pesticides are those products that may cause serious harm to people or the environment if used improperly. These chemicals are different from the over-the-counter pesticides available at local garden centers, which require no special permit to purchase.
The average homeowner can readily obtain any home pest control product without private applicator certification, and thus, need not attend this workshop. However, producers wanting to apply that high-strength herbicide for pasture weeds and forest land kudzu control need to call the Extension office at 482-9764 to preregister for the Aug. 31 meeting.
The workshop is free, and the applicator training takes a little over an hour to complete. There is also a short multiple-choice exam that each producer must pass in order to obtain the private applicator certification, with the main goal of making sure that every farmer applying restricted use pesticides can read a label correctly.
The Private Applicator permit is good for five years, after which time the producer must attend the certification program again. A producer may only use a private permit to purchase and apply pesticides on his/her own property, and it is illegal to use this permit in the business of spraying for anyone else.
A Commercial Pesticide Applicator Certification is required to apply pesticides as a business, and that goes for everything from fencerow spraying to home bug control. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (Bureau of Plant Industry at Mississippi State University, 325-3390) oversees the certification of commercial applicators, and their permits are good for three years.
The MDAC is also responsible for making sure that both private and commercial applicators keep pesticide application records of what they spray or spread. It is state law in Mississippi to keep accurate records of any restricted use pesticide applied in agricultural operations, and failure to comply can result in stiff fines or even jail time.
On a happier note, doesn't it feel good to know that when you shop for fresh produce at the Meridian Area Farmers Market, the farmers you count on for safe food for your family are using pesticides safely and wisely? It's just another one of the many successful partnerships between the MSU Extension Service, local farmers, and the community they serve.
Don't forget, the Farmers Market is still going strong up to six days a week, Monday through Saturday, downtown under the 18th Avenue bridge next to Union Station. Okra and other summer crops are still coming in pretty steady, and home canners in the area can look forward to a good fall batch of homegrown tomatoes toward the end of the month.