CFAES Give Today
OSU Extension

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

There have been a number of questions in recent weeks regarding private pesticide applicator recertification and fertilizer applicator certification meetings.  OSU Extension Wayne and Holmes Counties will be collaborating to provide private applicator pesticide recertification and fertilizer certification. 

Fertilizer certification is needed if you apply commercial fertilizer (not manure) to more than 50 acres.  Fertilizer applied through the planter box as a starter fertilizer is not included in this requirement.  The certification requirement is for both private and commercial applicators of fertilizer (not manure). There is no program fee to attend fertilizer certification.   Anyone who already has a pesticide applicators license can attend either a 2 hour or a 3 hour fertilizer certification program to get their fertilizer certification.  Those who do not have a pesticide applicators license must attend a 3 hour program to get their fertilizer certification.  Although there is no cost to attend the certification program, anyone who does not already have a pesticide applicators license will be required to pay $30 to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) for the fertilizer applicator certification.  The invoice for the certification fee will be sent to the applicant by ODA after the completion of the fertilizer certification training.

There is a $35 fee to attend the pesticide recertification program.  This is in addition to the $30 that applicators send in to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) to renew their license, so essentially private applicators are paying $65 every 3 years to maintain their license.

The scheduled dates, times and locations for 2016 meetings is as follows:

  • Thursday, January 28: Sponsored by Shearer Equipment John Deere.   Private pesticide recertification at 9:00 am at Fisher Auditorium, OARDC in Wooster. Training provided in Core and categories 1, 2, and 6.  Fertilizer certification offered from 1:00 -4:00 pm.
  • Tuesday, February 9: Fertilizer Certification 3 hour meeting.  Fisher Auditorium OARDC campus, Wooster, 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm
  • Friday, February 12: Fisher Auditorium, (North Exhibit Area) OARDC, Wooster.  Fertilizer certification 10 am to noon.  Private pesticide recertification 12:45 pm to 3:45 pm.  Training in Core, and categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
  • Tuesday, February 16:  Mt. Hope Auction Barn, 8076 St. Rt. 241, Mt. Hope.  Fertilizer certification 10 am to noon.  Private pesticide recertification from 12:45 pm to 3:45 pm.  Training in Core, and categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
  • Friday, February 19: Farmerstown Auction Barn, 2807 St. Rt. 557, Baltic.  Private pesticide recertification only.  12:30 pm until 3:30 pm.  Please arrive by 12:15 for registration so that the recertification training can begin promptly at 12:30 pm. Training in Core, and categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
  • Tuesday, February 23: Sprunger Building, Kidron Auction, 13071 Emerson Rd, Kidron. Fertilizer certification 10 am to noon.  Private pesticide recertification 12:45 pm to 3:45 pm.  Training in Core, and categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
  • Friday, February 26: Fertilizer certification 3 hour meeting.  Fisher Auditorium OARDC campus, Wooster, 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm.
  • Friday, March 11: Special no technology session, no videos or power point.  Private pesticide recertification only.  Kidron Fire Hall, 4772 Kidron Rd, Kidron, from 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm.  Please arrive by 12:15 pm for registration so that the recertification training can begin promptly at 12:30 pm. Training in Core, and categories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
  • Friday, March 18: Fertilizer certification, 3 hour meeting.  Fisher Auditorium conference room, 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm.

Anyone planning to attend one of these meetings is encouraged to pre-register by contacting the Wayne County Extension office at 330-264-8722 and provide your name, address and phone number.  The $35 program fee can either be paid at the door or can be sent in to the Wayne County Extension office before the program.  Checks for the pesticide recertification program fee ($35) can be made payable to “OSU Extension” and sent to the Wayne County Extension office at 428 West Liberty Street, Wooster OH  44691.   This will speed up the sign in process when you arrive.  A receipt for your payment will be available when you sign in at the program.  Applicators are encouraged to arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the advertised program starting time, to allow for sign-in and picking up handout materials.  Please bring your pesticide applicator license number with you to the training.

For those who will be attending a combination fertilizer certification and pesticide recertification meeting, we will offer a pizza lunch option for somewhere in the $5 to $7 range, or you can bring a brown bag lunch.  The pizza lunch option is not offered for the January 28 and the February 16 meetings.

Finally, I received some phone calls from applicators that attended fertilizer certification last year and have a fertilizer certificate that expires in 2016.   They also have a pesticide license that expires in 2016.  They wonder if they need to attend another fertilizer certification program.  Here is the answer to that question from ODA:

“They do not need to sit through another 2 hour fertilizer course prior to then, they just need to get their pesticide credits and renew their private applicator license and we will automatically send them a new fertilizer certification that expires 3/31/2019.  Pesticide applicators get a break on recertification in their first fertilizer certification period since we matched their fertilizer certification period to their pesticide certification period.”

For more information contact the Wayne County Extension office at 330-264-8722.