Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: (1) APPLICATOR TRAINING. Through MD PSEP, 593 applicators were trained for initial certification, and 6433 were trained for recertification. Six major recertification conferences serving applicators in Maryland and the surrounding region were offered in the following commercial applicator categories: agricultural production, production of turf & ornamentals, landscape pest control, structural pest control, right-of-way pest control, aquatic pest control, and forest pest control. Private applicator initial and recertification training workshops were offered through the counties and regional extension education centers. (2) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. In-service training on pesticide issues was offered for UM extension educators. Twenty-two extension educators attended, including all of those with responsibilities for developing/delivering pesticide safety education attended, as well as several who do not offer the training but wanted to learn the subject matter themselves. PARTICIPANTS: Amy E. Brown, Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland College Park, serves as Coordinator of Maryland PSEP. In this role, Dr. Brown provides coordination between Extension educators and federal and state authorities; serves as a resource on pesticide safety for Extension educators; develops, distributes, acquires and provides access to pesticide safety teaching materials; offers recertification training opportunities for commercial applicators in certain categories; and submits annual reports. Additional UM College Park campus faculty members who offer initial and/or recertification training opportunites for commercial and/or private applicators include Drs. Michael Raupp, Paula Shrewsabury, Cerruti Hooks,Galen Dively (UM Dept. of Entomology); Ron Ritter, Peter Dernoeden, Arvydas Grybauskas, and Scott Glenn (Plant Science & Landscape Architecture). UM Extension field educators participating in development and delivery of PSEP include Chuck Schuster, Montgomery Co. & Howard Co.; Don Webster, Wye REC; Jim Lewis, Caroline Co.; Jenny Rhodes, Queen Anne's Co.; Ginny Rosenkranz, Wicomico Co.; Richard Nottingham, Somerset Co.; Jessie Renshaw, Worcester Co.; Jerry Brust, LESREC; Doris Behnke, Cecil Co.; Shannon Dill, Talbot Co.; Jay Douthit, Kent Co.; Sabine Harvey, Kent Co.; Steve Allgeier, Carroll Co.; Sara Meagher, Harford Co.; Willie Lantz, Garrett Co.; Jeff Semler, Washington Co.; Derrick Bender, Allegany Co.; Dave Myers, Anne Arundel Co.; Terry Poole, Frederick Co.; Herb Reed, Calvert Co.; Bryan Butler, Carroll Co.; and Mike Bell, Carroll Co. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target audiences include three primary groups: (1) pesticide applicators, (2) health care providers, and (3) Maryland residents seeking pesticide information. (1) PESTICIDE APPLICATORS targeted by PSEP include (a.) commercial and private applicators; (b) registered employees (i.e., those working under the supervision of a certified applicator); (c)those whose job-related responsibilities include at least occasional application of pesticides (e.g., employees of schools, day care facilities, parks, restaurants, etc.). A secondary audience is comprised of those whose jobs require them to reenter pesticide-treated areas and thus may be exposed to pesticide residues (primarily workers at farms, forests, greenhouses, and nurseries). (2) HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS targeted include (a) those who provide primary health care and (b) first responders at accidents. (3) MARYLAND STAKEHOLDERS include those who may apply pesticide to their own yards or homes, and/or those who have questions about the use of pesticides, residues in food and water, exposure and its implications, etc. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
MD PSEP conducts two surveys each year during applicator recertification conferences for Rights-of-Way, Forest, and Aquatic Pest Control. The first questionnaire asks the applicators to list any pesticide handling practices they expect to change based on the information that was presented during the current conference. The second questionnaire asks returning applicators to list the practices they actually did change as a result of their attendance at the previous year's conference. In March 2012, 92% of applicators attending indicated they expected to improve at least one pesticide handling practice based on information learned in the March 2011 training workshop. Of returning participants, 89% indicated they actually had improved at least one pesticide handling practice based on information learned at the 2011 conference.
Publications
- Brown, A. E. 2012 (rev.) PIL No. 8: Factors Affecting Groundwater Contamination. Pesticide Information Leaflet Series, Dept. of Entomology, Univ. of MD Coop. Ext., College Park, MD. 3 pp.
- Brown, A. E. 2012 (rev.) PIL No. 9: Protecting Groundwater from Pesticides. Pesticide Information Leaflet Series, Dept. of Entomology, Univ. of MD Coop. Ext., College Park, MD. 3 pp.
- Brown, A. E. 2012 (rev.) PIL No. 14: Recordkeeping Requirements Under the 1990 Farm Bill. Pesticide Information Leaflet Series, Dept. of Entomology, Univ. of MD Coop. Ext., College Park, MD. 4 pp.
- Brown, A. E. and E. Ingianni. 2012. PIL No. 45: Protecting Pet Health when Using Flea and Tick Control Products. Pesticide Information Leaflet Series, Dept. of Entomology, Univ. of MD Coop. Ext., College Park, MD. 3 pp.
- Brown, A. E. 2012. Pesticide Resources for Maryland Extension Educators. Internal website available at http://pesticide-educators-md.weebly.com/ This internal website to service the needs of Maryland Extension educators includes 12 sub-pages.
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