Source: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION submitted to
PESTICIDE SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAM
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0226735
Grant No.
2011-48679-31083
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
2011-05522
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2011
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2012
Grant Year
2011
Program Code
[PSEP]- Pesticide Safety Education Program
Recipient Organization
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION
(N/A)
LOGAN,UT 84322
Performing Department
Cooperative Extension
Non Technical Summary
Pesticides are substances designed and utilized for the destruction, prevention, and/or mitigation of pests. The majority of pesticides are designed to kill or harm pests. People are biologically similar to some pests and because of this some pesticides can adversely affect humans. The risk of harmful effects depends on a pesticide's toxicity and exposure conditions. Education has proven to be the most effective deterrent to pesticide exposures. The education, training, and testing of pesticide applicators are integral components in the licensing of Utah's commercial, noncommercial, and private pesticide applicators.
Animal Health Component
90%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
10%
Applied
90%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7115220303010%
7116099303010%
7235220303010%
7236099303010%
9025220303010%
9026099303010%
9035220303030%
9036099303010%
Knowledge Area
902 - Administration of Projects and Programs; 711 - Ensure Food Products Free of Harmful Chemicals, Including Residues from Agricultural and Other Sources; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery; 723 - Hazards to Human Health and Safety;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other; 5220 - Pesticides;

Field Of Science
3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
The Utah Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) for 2011-2012 will be operated in conjunction with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) which is the State Lead Agency for Utah. The purpose of the Utah PSEP is to provide education and training that (1) assists individuals in becoming certified to apply restricted use pesticides (licensed through the SLA) and (2) assists currently licensed applicators to recertify for restricted use pesticide applications. At present, UDAF has almost 7000 certified individuals with pesticide applicator licenses.
Project Methods
Utah PSEP educational activities include pesticide labeling, safety, environmental protection, formulations, application, equipment, calibration, regulations, and/or pest recognition. Other activities include developing and updating manuals and other training materials, developing and coordinating recertification programs, informing pesticide applicators of scheduled education programs, providing materials though correspondence and the Internet, and the participation in other pesticide related presentations and training as requested or needed to satisfy the needs of Utah. The Utah PSEP has 16 instructional programs currently scheduled for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The majority of these scheduled programs will provide six or more hours of recertification credits (1 hour = 1 credit) and two of the programs offer 16 or more hours of credit. In addition to the 16 scheduled programs there will be 12 or more other pesticide related presentations during the year that offer one to three hours of recertification credit.

Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During 2011-12, the Utah Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) hosted 64 different pesticide training programs (1 to 8 hours in length) and discussed almost 20 different pesticide related topics including: safety, calibration, dilution, liability for injury and property damage, weed identification and treatment, insect identification and treatment, Utah's major crop pests, ticks, toxicity, storage, transport, hazards, labels, worker protection standards, personal protective equipment, cleaning application equipment, nozzle selection, disposal, new CPR techniques, licensing requirements, pesticide certification testing, online pesticide instruction, online pest identification resources, bed bug extermination, discontinued pesticides, and the new National Pollution Discharge Elimination Program (Pesticide General Permits). These 64 workshops were held at 19 different locations (multiple workshops in several locations) throughout Utah and the total attendance exceeding 4000 applicators during the year. Six new PowerPoint presentations were developed for use and five older presentations were updated with new material and reused. Other outputs included 74 email responses to applicators requesting a pesticide recommendation for the control of insects and/or weeds. PARTICIPANTS: Individual: F. R. Beard Collaborators: Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Division of Plant Industries Professional Development: Recertification credit for Utah's licensed pesticide applicators. TARGET AUDIENCES: These PSEP workshops were primarily for individuals involved in pest control operations and were organized to provide continuing education credits (hours of instruction) for Utah's licensed pesticide applicators needing credits for license recertification. About 4% of the attendees were individuals who were planning to become licensed. Some attendees (approximately 1%) were not licensed and did not intend to become licensed. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No significant changes were made to the original project plans.

Impacts
Based on the written evaluations completed by almost 3000 applicators attending one or more of the 64 PSEP workshops, more than 95% of the responders indicated that the workshops attended during the past three years have improved their pesticide application skills and techniques. More that 51% indicated that the workshops had reduced their pest related costs by at least 30% annually and almost 90% of the responders indicated that the workshops had reduced their pest related costs by at least 15%. Almost 85% of the responders indicated that their understanding of pesticide laws has improved and more than 97% indicated that they understood why following pesticide label requirements was necessary for safe and effective pest control. More than 99% of the responders indicated that they would recommend the PSEP training to other applicators.

Publications

  • Beard, F.R. and H.M. Deer. 2011. Ornamental and Turf Pest Management, Study Guide for Pesticide Application and Safety, Category 3. Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Division of Plant Industries. http://ag.utah.gov/divisions/plant/pesticide/documents/OrnamentalAndT urfStudyGuide.pdf
  • Beard, F.R. and H.M. Deer. 2011. Ornamental and Turf Pest Management, Study Guide for Pesticide Application and Safety, Category 3. Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Division of Plant Industries, 68 pages. http://ag.utah.gov/divisions/plant/pesticide/documents/OrnamentalAndT urfStudyGuide.pdf