Source: WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERVICE submitted to
WEST VIRGINIA PESTICIDE SAFETY EDUCATION PROGRAM 2012
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0231179
Grant No.
2012-48679-20212
Project No.
WVAN-FRANK
Proposal No.
2012-03802
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
PSEP
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2012
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2013
Grant Year
2012
Project Director
Frank, D. L.
Recipient Organization
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY EXTENSION SERVICE
PO BOX 6031
MORGANTOWN,WV 26506
Performing Department
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Non Technical Summary
Pesticides have contributed greatly to agricultural productivity, but at the same time their use has contributed to health and environmental problems. The primary objective of the Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) in West Virginia is to protect the environment and the public health of its residents from pesticide hazards that may occur due to improper handling and application of pesticides by applicators. The PSEP is designed to provide educational support to pesticide applicators who seek training in order to comply with federal and state pesticide recertification and licensing requirements. The specific objectives of the PSEP provided by West Virginia University Extension Service are to provide education and training that covers a broad range of human safety and environmental issues including worker safety, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and best pesticide handling practices from application of pesticides to storage and disposal.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
60%
Developmental
20%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2115220113010%
2125220116010%
2135220114010%
2145220113010%
2155220113010%
2165220113010%
2165220114010%
2165220116010%
3125220113010%
7115220113010%
Knowledge Area
215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants; 211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants; 312 - External Parasites and Pests of Animals; 212 - Pathogens and Nematodes Affecting Plants; 214 - Vertebrates, Mollusks, and Other Pests Affecting Plants; 711 - Ensure Food Products Free of Harmful Chemicals, Including Residues from Agricultural and Other Sources; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems; 213 - Weeds Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
5220 - Pesticides;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology; 1160 - Pathology; 1140 - Weed science;
Goals / Objectives
The Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) in West Virginia seeks to provide education materials and training to applicators in all 55 counties in order to improve pesticide use practices. The specific objectives of the PSEP provided by WVU Extension Service are to provide education and training in the following areas: 1) worker protection, 2) application, storage, and disposal of pesticides, 3) pesticide recordkeeping, 4) protection of water quality and endangered species, 5) Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and 6) food safety. Education materials and training will be in the form of digital videos, which will contain presentations covering various topics in the above priority areas. Digital videos will be copied for each of the 55 counties and distributed by early November 2012.
Project Methods
The Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) will be conducted in all 55 counties in the state of West Virginia using electronic audio visual media as training aids. Extension specialists and experienced county agents will give presentations on relevant pesticide safety topics that will be digitally recorded and edited by county personnel entrusted with this duty under the direct supervision of the project director (PD). Digital videos containing these presentations will be copied for each of the 55 counties and distributed by early November 2012. County agents will notify potential pesticide applicators needing recertification credits about the arrival of the new education and training materials. In addition, county agents will organize a meeting in each of their respective counties for specific PSEP agendas that will include the showing of these videos. To obtain recertification credits the attendees will be required to take a pre- and post-test concerning their knowledge of each particular topic covered in the video. The PD, who is also an extension entomologist for WVU, will coordinate with county agents so that meetings can be held within a stipulated time. During meetings, county agents will answer any questions from attendees. The PD will also be available via telephone or in person to answer any questions that may fall outside the expertise of county agents, or that require more clarification. The success of PSEP education and training videos to cause a change in knowledge, actions, or conditions of the target audience will be evaluated based on responses in the pre- and post-tests. In addition, the target audience will be given the opportunity to give constructive feedback regarding the content of the videos as well as give their voice to potential topics that should be covered in future videos.

Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience of the Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) in West Virginia included commercial and private pesticide applicators who wanted to pursue training in order to comply with federal and state pesticide certification and licensing requirements. This program served the educational needs of pesticide recertification seekers from all 55 counties in the state of West Virginia. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? A pesticide recertification video was distributed to all 55 counties in West Virginia. Video presentations were provided by extension specialists and experienced county agents, which were digitally recorded and edited by county personnel. The educational video provided training in the following specific areas: scouting crop fields for insects and diseases, pesticide handling (to include transportation, storage, disposal, and use of personal protective equipment), identification of fruit tree diseases and their management, using a global positioning system (GPS) guidance device to apply pesticides, brush control, alternatives to using pesticides, and parasite resistance to de-wormers and handling fly tags. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Pesticide recertification videos were copied and distributed to each of the 55 counties in West Virginia. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A pesticide recertification video was distributed to all 55 counties in West Virginia to provide educational training on topics related to: 1) worker protection, 2) application, storage, and disposal of pesticides, 3) pesticide recordkeeping, 4) protection of water quality and endangered species, 5) Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and 6) food safety. County agents organized training meetings in each of their respective counties for specific PSEP agendas that included the showing of the pesticide recertification video. In addition, the PD attended several commodity group meetings throughout the state of West Virginia where PSEP and other training materials were offered for recertification credits. These organized meetings given at multiple sites throughout the state were advertised as recertification meetings in consultation with the WV state regulatory agency.

Publications