Source: UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA submitted to NRP
2012 GEORGIA PSEP
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0230545
Grant No.
2012-48679-20244
Cumulative Award Amt.
$10,000.00
Proposal No.
2012-03511
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2012
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2014
Grant Year
2012
Program Code
[PSEP]- Pesticide Safety Education Program
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
200 D.W. BROOKS DR
ATHENS,GA 30602-5016
Performing Department
Entomology
Non Technical Summary
Objectives The objective of the pesticide safety education program is to coordinate with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to create and deliver education for commercial and private pesticide applicators to become certified and maintain certification to apply pesticides according to federal and state regulations.Educational activities will include: presenting educational programs or hands on environments; developing and updating manuals and other training materials; developing and or coordination of recertification education programs; informing pesticide applicators of programs and materials though newsletters and web sites; and other educational programs that are effective. Approach. 1.Convert training manuals for istribution and use in the ereader format: During this funding period, several category training manuals including Animal Agriculture, Plant Agriculture, Aquatic Pest Management, Right of Way, and Demonstration and arch will be updated and made available in ereader format for electronic distribution to clientele.2.Continued development and implementation of online certification training modules: The PSEP coordinator will work with Georgia Department of Agriculture personnel to refine interactive, online training modules for CEU credit for commercial and private pesticide applicators. Recertification training videos will also be brought into ADA compliance and made available in an online format, which will be available through county extension offices. 3.Develop and implement an online training module for private pesticide applicators: The PSEP Coordinator will work closely with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to create and implement an online training module for individuals seeking a private pesticide applicators license. This module will be made available through the county extension offices throughout the state. 4.Deliver training presentations at certification and recertification workshops: In addition to the development of online training materials, the PSEP coordinator and extension specialist will deliver in person training presentations at certification workshops throughout the state of Georgia. Presentations may also include Wimba sessions designed to reach larger audiences more effectively.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
1121499114012%
1331599113012%
2051699110212%
2111799114012%
2131499113013%
2141599110213%
2151699113013%
2161799113013%
Knowledge Area
133 - Pollution Prevention and Mitigation; 214 - Vertebrates, Mollusks, and Other Pests Affecting Plants; 211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants; 112 - Watershed Protection and Management; 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants; 205 - Plant Management Systems; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems; 213 - Weeds Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1499 - Vegetables, general/other; 1799 - Fiber crops, general/other; 1699 - Pasture and forage crops, general/other; 1599 - Grain crops, general/other;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology; 1102 - Mycology; 1140 - Weed science;
Goals / Objectives
The objective of the pesticide safety education program is to coordinate with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to create and deliver education for commercial and private pesticide applicators to become certified and maintain certification to apply pesticides according to federal and state regulations. Educational activities will include: presenting educational programs or hands on environments; developing and updating manuals and other training materials; developing and/or coordination of recertification education programs; informing pesticide applicators of programs and materials though newsletters and web sites; and other educational programs that are effective.
Project Methods
1) Convert training manuals for distribution and use in the ereader format: During this funding period, several category training manuals including Animal Agriculture, Plant Agriculture, Aquatic Pest Management, Right of Way, and Demonstration and Research will be updated and made available in ereader format for electronic distribution to clientele. 2. Continued development and implementation of online re-certification training modules: The PSEP coordinator will work with Georgia Department of Agriculture personnel to refine interactive, online training modules for CEU credit for commercial and private pesticide applicators. Recertification training videos will also be brought into ADA compliance and made available in an online format, which will be available through county extension offices. 3. Develop and implement an online training module for private pesticide applicators: The PSEP Coordinator will work closely with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to create and implement an online training module for individuals seeking a private pesticide applicator's license. This module will be made available through the county extension offices throughout the state. 4) Deliver training presentations at certification and re-certification workshops: In addition to the development of online training materials, the PSEP coordinator and extension specialist will deliver in person training presentations at certification workshops throughout the state of Georgia. Presentations may also include Wimba sessions designed to reach larger audiences more effectively.

Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Target audience included private and commercial pesticide applicators, county extension professionals, pesticide industry professionals, and others who use pesticides. 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? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Talks to audiences of private and commercial pesticide applicators were given at venues around Georgia covering a variety of pesticide safety topics both to provide a basic understanding of pesticide safety for novice pesticide applicators and to review and expand the knowledge and competency level of those individuals seeking continuing education and/or recertification credit. Among the topics covered were properly interpreting pesticide labels, evaluating pesticide formulations based on their advantages and disadvantages, proper pesticide handling procedures, and the corect use of personal protective equipment. Sessions on mixing, loading, and applying pesticides safely; worker protection standards; and protecting groundwater while addressing environmental concerns related to pesticide use were delivered as well. Manuals and educational materials from the pesticide safety education programs of University of Florida, Auburn, and Virginia Tech were acquired to facilitate upgrading the University of Georgia's category training manuals, of which many are seriously out-of-date and in need of updating and modernization. Demonstration materials for proper selection of personal protective equipment were obtained as well as cleanup kits, spill response kits, and decontamination kits for training methods of proper pesticide spill handling procedures to future training groups. A new Private Pesticide Applicator's Manual was developed, submitted to the Georgia Department of Agriculture's (GDA) Pesticide Program, and approved for publication in the near future. PowerPoint presentations for each chapter of the Private Pesticide Applicator's Manual were developed, with scripts for preparing recertification videos, and submitted to the GDA Pesticide Program for approval.

Publications