Continuing Education and
Communication Services
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
10/29/01
Contacts:
Jerry DeWitt, Department of Entomology (515) 294-1101,
jdewitt@iastate.edu
Julie Todd, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-2405,
jtodd@iastate.edu
Fee for Private Pesticide Applicator Educational Programs Helps Recover Costs
AMES, Iowa - Each year from December to April, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension develops and offers continuing instruction programs for private pesticide applicators who choose not to recertify by taking an exam. With the budget cuts at ISU, a new $15 fee will be applied to these educational programs, beginning December 1, 2001, to aid in partial cost recovery.
"It takes a lot of time and money to develop and offer these pesticide training programs and other services such as satellite meetings, one-on-one meetings, videotapes and manuals, " said Jerry DeWitt, ISU Extension Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) program coordinator. "Our costs are $600,000 annually and funds previously supplied by the state will no longer be available in 2002."
The PAT program is the largest extension program in the state. Last year, more than more than 22,000 (of 30,000 total) private applicators attended educational training sessions to recertify. Training sessions are held in all Iowa counties, with more than 350 being offered during the 4-month recertification period.
Survey results indicate that farmers consider the information in these training programs useful to their farm operation and they have changed or adopted new practices because of the training. "Our training programs have made farmers more aware of issues related to pesticide safety, storage and handling and of the benefits of calibrating application equipment and scouting fields," DeWitt said.
According to state law, if these pesticide education programs were not available, applicators would have no other option than to recertify by taking a State Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship exam once every three years.
"The new $15 ISU Extension Continuing Instruction fee will preserve the choice that applicators have to recertify by attending quality educational sessions and help to cover costs incurred by counties (mailing, printing, handouts, field staff time) and by the campus personnel who develop these training programs, DeWitt said."
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Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.