SITUATION: 

Chemical application at its best is simultaneously safe, effective, economical, and environmentally-conscious. Achieving each of these attributes for plant pest management is an ongoing educational process for a variety of applicator groups, including farm managers and workers, gardeners, crop advisors, point-of-sale employees, and industry and government agency representatives. This process will include educational sessions, hands-on demonstrations, test plots, coordinated recommendations, and site-specific farm visits by various extension personnel. In addition to timely and relevant updates on new chemicals, focus areas are chemical safety, efficacious usage, and integration of diversified approaches alongside chemicals. Attention to these foci will benefit not only applicators, but anyone who comes in contact with agricultural fields or uses Kentucky food, fuel, and fiber crops as part of everyday life.

Success Story:  

Workers in Kentucky with a commercial pesticide applicators license must maintain regular education to keep the license.  Hort/ANT Agent was contacted by the workers across the state asking for Continuing Educational Units (CEUs) in the various categories designated by Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA). Agent worked with area specialists and KDA to place speakers and assign CEUs.  This training was attended by workers from across the Commonwealth. Training was held December of 2017 at the McCracken County Extension Service to accommodate workers in the horticulture industry at a time when the growing season had ended.  Waiting to the end of the growing season made it possible for more workers to attend. in attendance were 42 workers.