Author: Timothy Stombaugh
Major Program: Chemical Management
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet commits significant resources annually to controlling vegetation along roadsides and right-of-way areas through application of chemical herbicides. A significant challenge they face is accurate georeferenced tracking of applications. This project helped guide the group through the process of deciding what data were critical to tracking roadside applications, understanding how to equip the wide variety of equipment currently in use with data collect
Author: Gregory Comer
Kentucky farmers purchase hundreds of containers containing pesticides each year. The proper rinsing and disposal of the pesticide containers is critical to:Saving the pesticide user money by cleaning all pesticide from the containerMinimizing the risk of soil, surface water and groundwater contamination with pesticidesAid in avoiding legal problems with improper disposal of containers The “Rinse & Return” Pesticide Container Recycling Program is a voluntary program sponsore
Author: Ricardo Bessin
Wireworm damage to sweetpoatoes is the leading insect pest of this crop and tunnels damage to the roots can rob a grower more than 30% of their yield. There are few effective insecticides with Lorsban (chlorpyrifos) historically used to control this pest. However, the EPA is cancelling chlorpyrifos use on many food and feed crops due to worker exposure and other concerns. This had left sweet potato producers with little effective alternatives.Through the IR-4 program, I identified a
Author: Leann Martin
Logan County has a rich agricultural tradition, boosting production in grain crops, livestock, fruits, and vegetables to name a few. With many kids living and working on the farm, we are dedicated to promoting safe operation and respect of farm equipment at our annual Logan County Progressive Agriculture Safety Day. Throughout the day, 5th grade students from Russellville Independent and Logan County schools participate in educational sessions and activities to learn about safe practices on farm
Author: Joanna Coles
Applying crop protection and lawn/landscape chemicals is an important industry in South Central Kentucky. Professional applicators must receive training to stay current on issues, pests, techniques, and safety for the products they apply. They need to receive continuing education to maintain their applicator license. The agriculture and horticulture agents around the Mammoth Cave responded to a need for a commercial training opportunity by developing the SOKY Pesticide Training
Author: Tad Campbell
With a 2022 estimate of about 78,000 acres of cropland and pasture, Mason County agriculture production remains a vital industry to the community. With the importance of the agronomic focus for agriculture the annual Ohio River Valley Agronomy Day was held in early February. The event is hosted as part of a seven-county group in both Kentucky and Ohio. The multi county event hosted over 40 participants from the area to engage in learning topics centered around weed control str
With the continuing increase of non-English speaking form workers throughout the country, the EPA recently announced that is will begin to approve Spanish-language versions of pesticide labels. In the past, there have been Spanish-language labels but they were not approved by the EPA and pesticide applicators were required to read and follow the English version of the labels. With this change, non-English speakers can be certified to apply pesticides. As a result, the Kentucky Department of Agri
Author: Kennedy Perkins
For the last year our producers here in Lewis County have had to go to other counties to receive educational components, especially those seeking their Private Pesticide Applicator Certification. This year I was able to host a training course here in Lewis County at our office. This certification allows individuals to purchase restricted use pesticides such as atrazine, liberty, and many more. These individuals were able to read and understand labeling information, how to apply pesticides a
Author: Matthew Futrell
Over the Top In 2016 Dicamba was labeled for “Over the top application” (OTT) on dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans. Since that time there has been a growing concern about producers making spray applications and the liability of doing so. In the last 8 years we have seen an increase in the number of custom commercial applicators. As more and more producers look for options to limit their liability, we see them turning to custom spray applicators.On February
Author: John Tucker
Hickman County has over 82,000 acres of soybeans and corn generating approximately 66 million dollars in grain products each year (2022 Census of Agriculture). According to the United States Department of Agriculture 2022 Ag Census, 21% of farms hire farm labor in Hickman County. This year Hickman County ANR agent provided three additional private pesticide applicator trainings later in the Spring in order to help 12 farm H2A workers (male =11 and female = 1) from South Africa, Brazi
Author: Chad Allen
On May 17th, 2024, the Floyd County extension office held a private pesticide applicator training to educate participates on proper application, disposal, restrictions, mixtures, and labels on restricted chemicals that may be used with this license and how it affects the environment. We had 10 people attend this 3-hour session and all were awarded their 3-year license at the end of the class. The improvement in understanding from the start to the end of the sessi
Author: Daniel Carpenter
Around 4.5 million dollars are invested annually on pesticides applied to Hardin County farmland for control of insects, weeds, and disease. In addition to the difficult decision of how to most effectively utilize pesticide resources, farms must also consider employee and personal protection, environmental stewardship, and nearby sensitive area considerations in their pesticide management decisions. Over 60 Hardin County farmers and employees received private pesticide applicator cer
Author: Tyler London
The application of crop protection chemicals and lawn/landscape chemicals is an important industry in South Central Kentucky. Professional applicators must receive training to stay current on issues, pests, techniques, and safety for the products they apply. They must receive continuing education to maintain their applicator license. The agriculture and horticulture agents from the University of Kentucky and Kentucky State University in regions of
Author: Kevin Lyons
.Application of crop protection chemicals and lawn/landscape chemicals are an important industry in south-central Kentucky. Professional applicators must receive training to stay current on issues, pests, techniques, and safety for the products they apply. They need to receive continuing education to maintain their applicator license. The agriculture and horticulture agents in the Mammoth Cave area responded to a need for a commercial training opportunity by developing the SOKY
Author: David Embrey
Application of crop protection chemicals and lawn/landscape chemicals is an important industry in South Central Kentucky. Professional applicators must receive training to stay current on issues, pests, techniques, and safety for the products they apply. They need to receive continuing education to maintain their applicator license. The agriculture and horticulture agents around the Mammoth Cave area responded to a need for a commercial training opportunity by developing the SO
Author: Gary Bell
Application of crop protection chemicals and lawn/landscape chemicals is an important industry in South Central Kentucky. Professional applicators must receive training to stay current on issues, pests, techniques, and safety for the products they apply. They need to receive continuing education to maintain their applicator license. The agriculture and horticulture agents around the Mammoth Cave responded to a need for a commercial training opportunity by developing the SOKY Pe
Author: Adam Barnes
Livingston County ANR joined forces with Graves, Calloway, Marshall, and McCracken Counties to provide essential Continuing Educational Unit (CEU) hours for licensed pesticide applicators across the W1/W2 region. After COVID many traditional training opportunities are still disrupted or non-existing now, there arose a pressing need for commercial applicators to acquire CEUs before the deadline at the end of November. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, these counties orchestrated a collect
The university of Kentucky manages and administers the Private Pesticide Applicator training and certification program under a memorandum of agreement with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. This program enables farmers to purchase and use Restricted Use Pesticides as part of their farming operations. Trainings are done by county agents using materials provided through the KY Pesticide Safety and Education Program and consist of a minimum 3 hour class or an optional written exam. The
