Source: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS submitted to
USDA-NIFA-SLBCD-003500 PSEP
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0227105
Grant No.
2011-48679-31102
Project No.
MASN-00100
Proposal No.
2011-05781
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
PSEP
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2011
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2012
Grant Year
2011
Project Director
Vittum, P.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
102 Holdsworth Way
AMHERST,MA 01003
Performing Department
Cooperative Extension
Non Technical Summary
The University of Massachusetts Extension Pesticide Education Program (the Program) coordinates with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to provide training and continuing education to licensed and certified pesticide applicators in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is responsible for the testing and licensing of pesticide applicators and enforcement of pesticide laws and regulations. The Program works closely with MDAR on the initial training process. New applicants are provided with an examination application packet that includes information on preparatory self-study materials and optional two-day preparatory workshops. The Program is responsible for maintaining and distributing self-study manuals as well as offering the workshops. Approximately 800 individuals receive self-study manuals and 250 individuals participate in the two-day preparatory workshops. The Program is responsible for conducting workshops as well as coordinating other pesticide re-certification training activities sponsored or developed by UMass Extension programs. These workshops and/or conferences (approximately 80 per year) are held throughout the state for the 6000 licensed and certified pesticide applicators. Topics that are covered in these workshops include, State and Federal Pesticide Laws and Regulations; Integrated Pest Management in Schools; Invasive Plant Pests; Personal Protective Equipment and Safety; Environmental Fate of Pesticides; Health Effects of Pesticides; EPA Worker Protection Standard; Integrated Pest Management for Multiple Commodities; Asian Longhorned Beetle and Other Invasive Insect Species; and Pesticide Impacts on Non-Target Species.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
7235220302050%
7115220302025%
1335220302025%
Knowledge Area
133 - Pollution Prevention and Mitigation; 711 - Ensure Food Products Free of Harmful Chemicals, Including Residues from Agricultural and Other Sources; 723 - Hazards to Human Health and Safety;

Subject Of Investigation
5220 - Pesticides;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The purpose of the PSEP are to help assure the proper, effective, and safe use as well as storage and disposal of pesticides; to assist both private and commercial applicators in meeting the initial and continuing standards of certification to apply restricted use pesticides; and to address adverse risks associated with pesticide misuse and consequences of pesticide drift. Emphasis should be placed on personal safety, protection of the environment, prevention of pesticide drift, endangered species, water quality, and food safety. The University of Massachusetts Extension Pesticide Education Program (the Program) coordinates with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to provide training and continuing education to licensed and certified pesticide applicators in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is responsible for the testing and licensing of pesticide applicators and enforcement of pesticide laws and regulations. The Program works closely with MDAR on the initial training process. New applicants are provided with an examination application packet that includes information on preparatory self-study materials and optional two-day preparatory workshops. The Program is responsible for maintaining and distributing self-study manuals as well as offering the workshops. Approximately 800 individuals receive self-study manuals and 250 individuals participate in the two-day preparatory workshops. The Program is responsible for conducting workshops as well as coordinating other pesticide re-certification training activities sponsored or developed by UMass Extension programs. These workshops and/or conferences (approximately 80 per year) are held throughout the state for the 6000 licensed and certified pesticide applicators. Topics that are covered in these workshops include, State and Federal Pesticide Laws and Regulations; Integrated Pest Management in Schools; Invasive Plant Pests; Personal Protective Equipment and Safety; Environmental Fate of Pesticides; Health Effects of Pesticides; EPA Worker Protection Standard; Integrated Pest Management for Multiple Commodities; Asian Longhorned Beetle and Other Invasive Insect Species; and Pesticide Impacts on Non-Target Species.
Project Methods
The UMass Extension Pesticide Education program distributes approximately 800 study manuals to individuals preparing for the state regulatory pesticide examinations. In addition, the program offers approximately 20 two-day workshops to further help individuals prepare for the examinations. Participants are given an opportunity to evaluate the class at the end of the workshop. The program has determined through exam results that individuals that attend the class are more likely to pass the exam than individuals who do not attend the class. The workshop also provides participants with information on future continuing education opportunities. Providing continuing education to licensed and certified applicators is one of the primary goals of the program. These events, conference and workshops, give individuals an opportunity to expand their knowledge of state and federal pesticide laws and regulations, techniques for managing pests including integrated pest management, identifying invasive species, how to reduce risk of pesticides to the environment, and the need to wear personal protective equipment. Participants are provided with opportunities to evaluate these events. UMass Extension will use this feedback to provide expanded and improved education. The UMass Extension Pesticide Education Program distributes information about these programs through a variety of communication strategies including,websites, direct mail, and phone. The staff of the Program also provide about pesticides to non-pesticide applicators. Presentations are made to master gardeners. Staff serve as invited speakers to several University of Massachusetts at Amherst courses including Principles of Pesticide Management; Pesticide, Public Policy and the Environment, and Winter Turf School.

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

Outputs
Target Audience: Private and commercial pesticide applicators, primarily in Massachusetts and throughout New England Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The Program maintains a website with information on scheduled recertification training seminars, and sends notification of the schedule to all the pesticide applicators on the mailing list provided by the state regulartory agency (MDAR). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The UMass Extension Pesticide Education Program (the Program) in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is responsible for providing initial and continuing education to Massachusetts licensed and certified pesticide applicators. Approximately 3300 pesticide exam study manuals were distributed by the UMass Extension Bookstore to approximately 2000 individuals preparing for the state administered pesticide applicator license exams. The Pesticide Education program conducted twenty-four two-day workshops to help individuals prepared for the Massachusetts state pesticide license exams. Approximately 24% of the individuals who take the state pesticide applicator license exam participate in the optional workshop. The workshop covers a variety of topics including, pest identification, pesticide types and formulations, toxicity of pesticides, first aid for pesticide poisoning, pesticide label comprehension, personal protective equipment, environmental fate of pesticides, integrated pest management, and state and federal laws and regulations. Individuals use this workshop as a supplement to self study and they also have an opportunity to ask questions. A practice exam is also provided to individuals to take home and use as a pesticide exam study tool. The Program used exam results provided by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to determine the exam passing rate for our pesticide exam training workshop participants. Individuals who took the workshop continue to pass at a higher rate than those who did not take the workshop. Fifty-nine percent of the individuals who took the workshop passed the exam compared to a passing rate of 50% for nonparticipants. This represents a 16.5% percentage difference in the passing rate between the two groups. The Program also offered 20 pesticide recertification training workshops to individuals that have pesticide licenses and certifications. Topics covered in the series included: Massachusetts Pesticide Laws and Regulations, Turf Insect Pest Identification and Management, School Integrated Pest Management Law and Implementation, Pesticide Applicator Safety: Using Material Safety Data Sheets for a Safer Work Environment, Pesticide Exposure Studies, Invasive Insect Pests, Pesticide Impacts on Wildlife, Environmental Fate of Pesticides and Massachusetts groundwater regulations, Insecticides and their Mode of Action, Pesticides and Pest Resistance, and EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS), Risk Management and other topics for Agriculture. There were a total of 1,815 individuals who participated in the workshops. All participants were given an opportunity to evaluate the workshops. Of the 1362 individuals who completed evaluations, 60% indicated that they increased their knowledge, "very much" and 55% indicated that they would "very much" use the information/techniques that they learned. In addition to our standard workshops, lectures on calibration of pesticide equipment, pesticides and the Endangered Species Act, integrated pest management in schools, pesticide exposure, pesticide formulations, pesticide toxicity, fate of pesticides in the environment, pesticide laws and regulations were also given in undergraduate courses at UMass-Amherst and at the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association

Publications