USDA

pesticide safety, pesticide applicator,applicator certification

01-SEP-12 to 31-AUG-13 Target Audience: Private and commercial pesticide applicators in the state of South Dakota. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? 74 commercial pesticide applicator training sessions (15 categories) and 36 private applicator training sessions across the state between January and March of 2013, certifying approximately 5000 people (~3000 private applicators and ~2000 commercial applicators). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Extension materials were published online at iGrow.org (SDSU's extension platform) and through SDSU Extension Pest and Crop Newsletter (http://igrow.org/agronomy/profit-tips/pest-crop-newsletter/). 2013 South Dakota Crop Protection Guide was printed and distributed at 2013 commercial pesticide trainings for Agricultural categories. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

01-SEP-12 to 31-AUG-13 What was accomplished under these goals? For the training opportunities, see below. Commercial pesticide applicator exam in category 8 (public health) was revised. Exams in categories 5 (seed treatment), and 9 (industrial and structural pests) are under revision in collaboration with SD Department of Agriculture. Extension materials on Minimizing Toxic Effects of Pesticide on Pollinators and Disposal of Waste Pesticide and Empty Pesticide Containers were developed and published online. 2013 South Dakota Crop Protection Guide, comprising of IPM techniques and pesticide label summaries (highlighting pesticide rotation guide to manage resistance) of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides were published as handouts for commercial pesticide trainings. Slide set and demonstration sets on measuring pesticide was created and used for private pesticide applicator training

pesticide education, user safety, restricted use pesticides,~applicator certification

01-SEP-12 to 31-AUG-13 Target Audience: Growers, landscapers, pest control operators, extension and university personnel, NJ DEP and DA personnel, all other types of applicators Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Green Industry and Pest Control Operators: Pesticide applications are often required as part of commercial pest management. State regulations require DEP-approved training to be licensed to apply pesticides in NJ. PSEP CORE certification and recertification programs enable professionals to safely and legally apply pesticides as part of their job. This programming enabled more than 8,600 persons to earn a living as commercial applicators. Veteran's Administration Program: Ten veterans completed the RCE Organic Landscape Maintenance Training program in 2012 which included 3 hours of instruction in pesticide safety and use. The veterans are responsible for managing the landscape of the VA Hospital in East Orange and minimizing pesticide use at the hospital. They also qualified for the DEP CORE pesticide exam. Growers: NJ regulations require that when pesticides are applied to an agricultural commodity, the applicator must be licensed with the DEP. New Jersey pesticide regulations are more stringent than Federal EPA. During the report period, PSEP provided regulatory outreach in State-specific requirements for private applicators. New Jersey's 1,700 licensed private applicators were empowered to comply and maintain their licenses. Master Gardeners: MGs assist RCE in its mission to deliver horticulture programs and information to the general public. Training in safe and legal use of pesticides is required curriculum for all MG trainees to become certified volunteers. During the report period, nearly 400 MGs trainees in 16 counties completed this required pesticide curriculum and fulfilled this part of their training. Currently-certified MGs that attended these sessions received continuing education credits to maintain their certification. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Online information, study guides and in-person talks at meeting and workshops. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

01-SEP-12 to 31-AUG-13 What was accomplished under these goals? New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Pesticide Control regulations require that private and commercial pesticide applicators become licensed by passing certification exams. During the report period, PSEP distributed 2,200 training manuals (CORE and 24 categories) to clientele via County Extension offices. A total of 116 private and 2,099 commercial pesticide applicators received training to take their certification exam. PSEP provided initial (6 in English, 3 bi-lingual) training courses to commercial applicators. To maintain licensing, applicators must earn a minimum of 24 recertification credits within 5 yrs. PSEP conducted recertification training at key NJ stakeholder meetings in collaboration with grower/green industry assns. This included CORE presentations at the NJ Ornamental Horticulture Symposium for Landscapers and Arborists, the 2012 Atlantic Coast Agricultural Convention and Trade Show farm safety session, NJ Landscape Assn. "NJ Plants Conference", South Jersey Landscape Conference & Nursery Growers Meeting, PCO & Health Officers Annual Program, Rutgers Turf Program Field Days, NJ Xmas Tree Growers Assn. Winter and Summer Conferences, North and Central Jersey Vegetable Growers Conferences, and the North Jersey Turf & Ornamentals Institute Conference. We also provided County-based CORE recertification programming at 9 Extension offices. PSEP continued to offer online CORE recertification course at www.recert.rutgers.edu. Approx. 2,200 private applicators and 13,330 commercial applicators were recertified during this report period. PSEP developed recertification course presentations on personal protective equipment (PPE) consistent with current standards, practices and manufacturer guidelines. We shared these new applicator outreach materials on PPE with PSEP and SLA programs of several states for implementation in their own state pesticide applicator training. PSEP collaborated with the Middlesex County Mosquito Commission to develop pesticide storage/spill training addressing both CORE and Clean Water Act training requirements. This was adapted and delivered to several hundred landscape professionals. PSEP provided applicator outreach to the 1,766 private and 8,639 commercial applicators licensed in NJ via publications, websites, and listserv postings to County Agents and trade assns. PSEP assessed existing RCE pesticide education fact sheets with current regulations and safety guidelines; dated fact sheets were removed. Accepted fact sheets were published at njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs. PSEP maintained websites for pesticide applicator training and School IPM (pestmanagement.rutgers.edu; and Farm Safety (njaes.rutgers.edu/farmsafety/). PSEP also delivered lectures in safe and legal use of pesticides to non-occupational pesticide users including health officers, veterans, and Master Gardener trainees for 16 County Extension volunteer programs. PSEP met with DEP and EPA Region 2 partners twice. It was agreed that PSEP should incorporate Worker Protection Standard regulations in its revision of the Private manual. Also PSEP reviewed and will use Cornell's revised Plant Agricultural Pest Control manual in NJ.

pesticide~applicator certification~web based training~pre exam training

01-SEP-11 to 31-AUG-12 OUTPUTS: The goal of the web-based interactive training was to prepare individuals for the exam needed to obtain a pesticide applicator license. This was done be creating modules that have interactive and engaging components such as embedded videos, matching exercises, short quizzes, and other user based activities. At this time, modules on Pest Management; Pesticide Labeling; Transportation, Storage, and Security; Emergency or Incident Response; and Planning the Pesticide Application have been completed. undergone beta testing by certified pesticide applicators (n=35). Ninety-one percent of the participants felt the modules were easy or very easy to progress through. PARTICIPANTS: Kerry Hoffman-Richards who is the Director of the Pest Management Information Center. Peg Shuffstall is working to place the completed modules on the eXtension.org site and within the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Community of Practice website TARGET AUDIENCES: A key component of meeting the mission of Penn State Pesticide Education is the certification and recertification of applicators who apply restricted use pesticides. Currently, the primary method for applicators to become certified is through self study. In the past there have been opportunities for applicators to attend pre-exam training sessions presented by extension educators. Historically, applicators who attend these trainings have a significantly higher passing rate when they take the exam. Due to constraints of time and workload, these opportunities have been limited. With the availability of technology and increasing applicator access to computers, we are expanding these efforts by developing a web-based computer tutorial basic Core pesticide safety education. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

01-SEP-11 to 31-AUG-12 While the remaining on-line modules are under construction, several have undergone beta testing by certified pesticide applicators (n=35). Ninety-one percent of the participants felt the modules were easy or very easy to progress through. A variety of topics were covered in evaluated modules but all participants (100 %) somewhat to completely understood the material. One of the features of the on-line modules was the ability of the user to interact with the content. These interactive elements helped the participants keep their attention and help explain some of the harder concepts in the course. Evaluations showed that the animated charts were 94% effective, videos 91% effective, photos 100% effective, animated graphs 88% effective, and quizzes 94 % effective. Seventy-seven percent of the participants would recommend these modules to someone who wanted help studying before attempting to take the core certification examination. Twenty percent would recommend the online modules only if on-site training was inconvenient. Now that several modules have been evaluated by pesticide applicators for ease of use and educational value, they are just about ready to be placed online. After researching some different online options, the decision was made to work with eXtension.org and place the modules on the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Community of Practice website. eXtension uses Moodle as the learning management system (LMS) for the online courses with the web address of campus.extension.org. This LMS is a new interface that requires learning how to upload the modules and build different levels of interaction. Moodle provides functionality that complements the interactiveness of the modules.

01-SEP-11 to 31-AUG-12 No publications reported this period

pesticide applicator~safety education~applicator training~applicator certification~pesticides~certified applicators~psep

01-SEP-11 to 31-AUG-12 OUTPUTS: 96 hours of Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) were offered during the grant period. 22 of the 96 CEUs focused on competencies in understanding and applying pesticide laws and regulations. More than 520 certified pesticide applicators attended these training sessions. An evaluation component has been added to the training so we can improve our trainings as well as applicator knowledge and application of safety information. To determine training needs and outcomes, an online survey of applicators who attended a face-to-face trainings in 2010 and 2011 was completed. The survey was sent to 268 applicators who provided email addresses, and 84 responded (31.3%). An online practice test has been developed for the general exam portion of the certified pesticide applicators test. The site has been accessed by over 100 users. Six hours of pesticide safety education was provided to 130 Master Gardeners. Revision of the Nevada Pesticide Applicator's Certification Workbook is underway and partially completed. Practice tests for the most common certification categories are in development. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: This program has two different audiences. The first include Certified Pesticide Applicators. This program is designed to provide them with the information they need to pass the certified pesticide applicator's test and safely apply pesticides to limit injuries to themselves, their families, other people, pets, livestock, wildlife and the environment. The second audience this program educates are the Master Gardeners that advise and educate the public. The program is designed to increase their knowledge of safe pesticide use and increase their ability to advise the public on pesticide safety, with a goal of decreasing pesticide misuse. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

01-SEP-11 to 31-AUG-12 Participants in the face-to-face trainings were asked to rate the following statements from 1 - not at all to 5 - a great deal: As a result of this training, I am better able to comply with state and federal pesticide regulations: Average rating 4.46. As a result of this training, I am more aware of state and federal pesticide regulations: Average rating 4.42. As a result of this training, I am better prepared to protect myself and others: Average rating 4.48. As a result of this training, I am better prepared to protect the environment: Average rating 4.36. The online survey of certified pesticide applicators provided several interesting findings: 82.6% indicated they learned a moderate amount to a lot about pesticide safety when they attended a training. 83.5% felt the training helped them a moderate amount to a lot to pass the certification exam. Of the survey respondents that used the online course and practice test, 100% indicated it helped them a moderate amount or a lot to pass the Certified Pesticide Applicator exam.

01-SEP-11 to 31-AUG-12 Susan Donaldson and Melody Hefner, 2011, FS-11-37, Pesticide Risk Assessment: Understanding Signal Words on Pesticide Labels. Susan Donaldson and Melody Hefner, 2011, FS-11-38, Understanding Pesticide Labels. Jon Carpenter (NDOA), Susan Donaldson and Melody Hefner, 2011,FS-11-40, Dealing with Nuisance Wildlife.