Deadline looms for pesticide, fertilizer certification

Farmers that have a private pesticide applicator license and/or fertilizer applicator certificate must take continued education hours over a three-year period for renewal. They generally attend training workshops the first part of the year, since their licenses expire at the end of March. Health guidelines, because of the pandemic, stopped training workshops in the middle of March 2020 and prevented winter meetings in 2021. As a result, many farmers were unable to complete their recertification. The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) extended the renewal deadline for both 2020 and 2021 from the normal expiration date to July 1, 2021. ODA also had Ohio State University Extension develop an online program for continued education hours in lieu of meetings. However, farmers prefer in-person meetings, and many do not have adequate internet service to complete online training. If a farmer does not complete continuing education hours by the deadline their license will expire, and they will have to retake and pass the state test to apply restricted pesticides and apply fertilizer to fields. The pesticide applicator recertification hours must include at least one hour in core, which is an umbrella term for general pesticide safety, use and regulations. The remaining two hours include training in one or more specialization categories, such as grain and cereal crops or livestock and forages. Farmers with a fertilizer applicator certificate must complete at least one hour in nutrient management to fulfill their continuing education requirement. The Hancock County Extension Office has set up three methods for farmers to complete their recertification hours before the July 1 deadline: • Complete online training developed by OSU Extension. Because of the pandemic, ODA has temporarily allowed farmers to complete their training online. Farmers can access the training at https://pested.osu.edu. Scroll down the page to the section titled 2021 Ohio Self-Paced Online Pesticide and Fertilizer Recertification. A farmer will have to register and pay with a credit card for the online training. Charges are $35 and $15 for pesticide and fertilizer recertification, respectively. After watching the presentations, an individual must submit the recertification form to get credit. Some confusion has occurred because the Scarlet Canvas software allows access to the form by selecting the "quiz" option at the end of the program. It may be three to four weeks before ODA processes the form and shows completion on its webpage. You must register for the self-paced courses online; there is no registration over the phone. All courses are available until July 1. You may work at your own pace, but complete and submit your recertification form by this deadline. • In-person recertification training. The Hancock County Extension Office will offer an in-person training workshop on June 7. Fertilizer recertification training will be from 8-9 a.m., and pesticide recertification will be from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Class size is limited, and preregistration is required. Hancock County health guidelines will be followed, which at this time includes distancing and masks. Register by calling the Hancock County Extension Office, 419-422-3851, or emailing lentz.38@osu.edu. Charges for in-class training are $35 and $10 for pesticide and fertilizer recertification, respectively. A $5 discount will apply for those taking both training programs. Payment can be made at the door via cash or check. • Watch recertification videos at the Hancock County Extension Office. This option is for individuals who do not have a computer or reliable internet, or who are unable to attend an in-person meeting. It is also for those who may only need one hour to complete their recertification. This option is now available, with the state allowing the Extension office to be opened to the public. If interested, call the Extension office to get a date and time. Health guidelines will be followed. Fees for this method will be the same as the online training. Lentz is Extension educator for agriculture and natural resources for the Ohio State University Extension Service in Hancock County. Contact Lentz at 419-422-3851 or lentz.38@osu.edu for additional information.