Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: As coordinator of the Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) I personally trained approximately 1,350 Commercial and Non-Commercial applicators in 2011. Twenty-one training sessions were conducted for these applicators (12 recertification and 9 initial certification) around the state between November 2010 and August 2011. Applicators were trained on the various aspects of pesticide safety including, personal safety, environmental protection, integrated pest management, drift minimization, equipment calibration, proper handling and disposal. I have also spoken this year about pesticide issues to Master Gardeners, grower groups, seasonal technicians at the Lonoke Extension Center, and cotton scouts. I am responsible for the dissemination of pesticide information to agents, growers, government agencies, and other interested groups and individuals. Information on pesticide cancellations, label changes, emergency exemptions, data call-ins, etc., is distributed via e-mail, the internet, letters, and phone calls. I am also a Board member and Past-President of both the Arkansas Crop Protection Association and the Arkansas State Horticulture Society. I was a subcontractor PI for the Pesticide Safety Education Program Disaster Recovery project. The other participating states are Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. I was elected Co-Chair of the National Certification & Training Assessment Group Board in December 2010. My term as Co-Chair began in March 2012. CTAG is a collaborative organization focused on maintaining and improving the quality of pesticide training and certification programs in the U.S. Members include representatives from state pesticide regulatory agencies, pesticide educators from land grant universities, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency personnel, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture ( http://ctaginfo.org). As a CTAG member I also Co-Chair a committee on developing a new electronic reporting system (CPARD) for the states' Pesticide Safety Education Programs. I was also elected to the Board of Directors of the Pesticide Stewardship Alliance in 2011. The Pesticide Stewardship Alliance (TPSA) is a collaborative partnership of government agencies - federal, state and local, educational and research institutions, public organizations, private corporations and individuals actively involved in stewarding the pesticide life cycle. Founded in 2000, TPSA utilizes education, training, outreach and other activities to accomplish stewardship objectives in local, national and international arenas. PARTICIPANTS: All of the following are considered collaborators with PSEP in Arkansas: County Agents and Specialists with the University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service . Arkansas State Plant Board personnel. The Arkansas Aerial Applicators Association. The Arkansas Highway & Transportation Department. The Arkansas Crop Protection Association. The Arkansas Turfgrass Association. The Arkansas Green Industry. The Arkansas State Horticulture Society. TARGET AUDIENCES: Pest management is a very broad area encompassing agriculture, urban situations, public health concerns, trade issues, etc. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires that pesticides be used properly and judiciously. The Agency also requires that most individuals and businesses that apply pesticides receive proper and recurrent training on the proper use of pest control products. The pesticide safety education program in Arkansas is the primary way that pesticide applicators are instructed on the proper and safe use of pesticides. Approximately 3,365 Arkansas agricultural producers were certified or recertified as private pesticide applicators during the 2010/2011 training season. These people were certified/recertified at two to three hour pesticide applicator training (PAT) sessions conducted statewide by county Extension agents. The PAT training includes information on pesticide labeling, safety precautions, first aid, protective gear, storage, handling, disposal, integrated pest management, environmental concerns, application equipment and calibration, groundwater protection, pesticide recordkeeping, and spray drift management. There are approximately 20,284 private pesticide applicators that must receive training for recertification at least once every five years. A small number of producers received their initial certification through the use of the Pesticide Applicator Training videotape produced by the Cooperative Extension Service. The videotape is used in emergency situations when no training sessions are available. Watching the videotape provides only a one-year certification. Further recertification requires attendance at one of the Extension Service PAT sessions. County agents report that well over 50,000 individuals every year receive some form of pesticide safety education other than recertification training. A total of 1,350 individuals were certified/recertified as Commercial or Non-Commercial applicators at a total of 21 PAT sessions conducted around the state by the Associate Professor - Pesticide Education in 2010. These sessions consist of three to six hours of training covering essentially the same topics as listed above for private applicators. The training programs for the commercial and non-commercial applicators emphasize professionalism, human safety, and environmental safety. Tests are required to obtain initial certification. The Arkansas State Plant Board administers the tests. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Previous grower pesticide use surveys have indicated that approximately 50% of the respondents have changed their pesticide practices as a result of attending a PAT session. The most common changes listed were increased use of protective gear, reading the label more closely, and more attention paid to calibration. Approximately 85% of survey respondents rated the recertification sessions as good to excellent. In addition to providing training for pesticide applicators in need of certification and licensing, we also provide pesticide safety education to various other groups and individuals. Master Gardener members, private applicators that do not need to be licensed because they don't use restricted use pesticides, city/county/state employees wishing to improved education and reduce liability, are all trained on the safe use of pesticides. Besides the county conducted training for the private applicators, we conducted 7 pesticide safety education classes for non-licensed applicators. The goal and ultimate impact of pesticide safety education is insure individuals use the latest technology and information to handle pesticides (includes purchasing, mixing, applying, and disposal) in a responsible manner. Using pesticides responsibly helps protect applicators, other people, and the environment from potential problems. By practicing pesticide stewardship, applicators can also help reduce the risks associated with pest management in food, feed, and fiber production. To facilitate the PESP I have used funds generated by the state program to purchase iPads for all agricultural county extension agents in 2011. The agents will use the devices for quick access to extension publications in the field, other online resources related to pesticides and pest management, quick visual and text communication with specialists and researchers to provide quick answers to clientele, and platforms for generating and providing slide presentations to various audiences. Approximately 120 iPad 2's have been purchased in 2011. Approximately 12 recently hired Extension agricultural agents were educated and trained at initial certification sessions for their restricted use pesticide license in 2011. Pesticide safety training was conducted for 30 seasonal employees at the Lonoke Extension Center on June 20, 2011. I sponsored and attended the Ouachita District Agents Outing on May 25, 2011 at the Grandview Wildlife Management Area in Howard County. Informal training on the PSEP was conducted at the meeting for new agents.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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