Pesticide Certification & Training

Beginning November 24, 2020 certified pesticide applicators will be required to have a valid, current certification identification (ID) card in their possession in order to make any commercial or private applications of pesticides and registered pesticide businesses and agencies will be required to have a current registration to operate as a pesticide business or agency.

Under the regulations, a certified pesticide applicator has until 90 days past their recertification date to complete recertification without additional recertification credits being assessed. Therefore, the Department will continue to waive assessing 6 additional recertification (“penalty”) credits for 90 days past the expiration of the enforcement discretion or until February 23, 2021. Please be aware, during the 90 day period, you may not apply pesticides without a valid certification ID card in your possession. Penalty credits will be required for recertification from February 24, 2021 until two years after the date of the certified pesticide applicator’s original recertification date.

Any questions regarding the expiration of the enforcement discretion should be addressed to the Pesticide Reporting & Certification Section at pestmgt@dec.ny.gov or by telephone at (518) 402-8748.

Information on the Pesticide Certification process can be found on the DEC website

For chemical disposal:

homeowners:  ECOPark is a Monroe County service and may be able to help you

farmers:  Clean Sweep or contact Dec staff

************

Lots of educational information and credits are now available through the new and expanded PMEP (Pesticide Management Education Program) website where you will find:

• Tutorials for studying for the exam
• Books and “Guidelines” for purchase
• Online Distance Learning Credits for recertification (NEW!)

For more specific information about upcoming classes across the state, please visit the NYS DEC training calendar.

• Recertification courses are available year round through local agriservice and the regional agriculture teams. Check out the specialist teams’ websites for more information and to enroll so that you get the most up to date info on new classes and workshops.
• Ordering and paying for core and category manuals changed in early 2014. An order form for core and category manuals can be found at the Cornell Store website. This site may take a while to load.
• Information specifically about certification can be found at the DEC website.  If you need specific info on phone numbers, etc, Wayne County is in region 8.

Pesticide Worker Safety (EPA requirements) :

• Website for information on the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS)
• Website for Educational Resources, including free videos on line, posters, handouts, and CDs to purchase
• How to Comply Manual
  • Updates page 3, additions effective Jan 2, 2017 and Jan 2, 2018

Upcoming Trainings

Need DEC Credits?

With some of the late winter programs cancelled, you could need that last DEC credit to renew your license. The Pesticide Management Education Program (PMEP) on campus offers some online DEC credits. This link goes to all the courses that are approved for on-line credit for NY applicators, https://pmepcourses.cce.cornell.edu/catalog?pagename=ny-credits. There were 17 courses that give credit for Category 21 as well as some CORE options. Fees are $30/credit.

CCE Wayne County works with our regional specialist teams to host training in preparation to take the pesticide certification exam. We hosted a training in March 2021, information is below. This is offered every other year at CCE Wayne - this information is presented for planning purposed.

Many of the items below are a place marker for a future training. Keep watch back here throughout the winter meeting season. I will post upcoming workshops in the area. 

Pesticide Training at CCE Ontario County: Anyone interested in obtaining a pesticide certification and meets the D.E.C. experience/education requirements or current applicators seeking pesticide re-certification credits should attend. This training is NOT a 30-hour certification course.

Pesticide Certification and Re-Certification Classes:.

Cooperative Extension Center, 480 North Main Street, Canandaigua
Tuesdays, February 2, 9, 16, 23,  2021  @ 7-9:30pm
Exam Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021  @ 6:00 pm – 10 pm

The cost for the training to obtain a license is $225, includes training manuals and attendance at all four classes. This does not include the $100.00 DEC exam fee, due the day of the exam. Certified applicators, private and commercial, seeking recertification credits will receive 2.5 core credits per class. For recertification credits only – cost is $40.00 per class, no materials. To receive registration material or for additional information, contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County at (585) 394-3977 ext. 427 or email nea8@cornell.edu or rw43@cornell.edu or registration available on-line at http://www.cceontario.org/

Training to take the exam announced for CCE Wayne!

Training classes via zoom will be held on March 22, 24, 29, 31, 2021 from 1pm - 3pm with the exam on April 1, 2021.  Please see the attached flyer with registration information. 

Information as of February 5, 2021 - we are still unsure of the specific expectation for "Special permit"  

As per information from our IPM specialist Janet, "There will be an online special permit training system again, similar to what we provided last year. We’re not sure whether there will be the same system of “grandfathering in” folks who took it last year, so for now, growers should expect for anyone they want to be able to apply restricted products to take the full training and exam."  See info below what was done last year or see above for training to take the exam.  Call Beth if you have any questions, 315-331-8415.

Information from last year, 2020: Special Permit Training (SPT) for 2020 has been revised to an online format that accommodates current restrictions on public meetings, recommendations for social distancing, and projected delays in H2A guest worker processing imposed by COVID-19. Many thanks to the NYS DEC, CALS and CCE administration, and CCE staff for their prompt action on this very critical program for NYS agriculture.

In time for the originally proposed in-person SP Training on April 7^th and 8^th, we hope to have available pre-recorded training modules. It will be the responsibility of the Supervisor/Certified Pesticide Applicator(s) on each farm to administer the training modules and test to their Special Permit trainees. Once registered, all of the necessary training materials and documents associated with Special Permit application will be sent separately to each farm along with a private link to access the training modules.

Please register your workers in need of SPT by Friday, April 3^rd, so that we can process your registrations and prepare all of the customized paperwork in a timely manner. Note, that your pesticide handlers do not need to be in the country for you to pre-register them by the deadline.

Special Permit applications may be submitted to NYSDEC after completion of training modules and exam for each worker. If you have workers that continue to “trickle in” after your first round of training, it will absolutely be possible for you to train them and apply for their Special Permits at a later time. Please pre-register these workers at this time.

New this year, under the extraordinary circumstances of COVID-19, pesticide handlers who received Special Permits in 2019 (passed the written exam, not just came to the training) will be “grandfathered in” for 2020, which means that their training requirements will be greatly reduced. Please pre-register your workers that fall into this category as well.

To register (relevant to every worker who will be under and special permit in 2020), go to https://lof.cce.cornell.edu/.

If you called and left a message with Kim Hazel on or after March 20^th to register for SPT and have not heard back, please contact Janet or Christy by April 3^rd.

For more information or with any questions, please contact Janet Van Zoeren at 585 797-8368 / jev67@cornell.edu or Christy Hoepting at 585 721-6953 / cah59@cornell.edu.

Next week, we will send out detailed instructions regarding the execution of SPT to the farms who have registered.

Special Permits will only be issued for 10 specific pesticide labels. This will relieve the certified pesticide applicator from "on-site within voice contact" supervision of non-certified pesticide applicators when they are handling federally-restricted-use pesticides for which they hold a Special Permit. The labels that will be covered include Lorsban Advanced (for control of black stem borer in apple only), Endigo ZC, Warrior II with Zeon Technology, Agri-Mek SC, Beseige, Leverage 360, Danitol 2.4EC, Mustang Maxx, Asana XL, and Lannate LV (No Gramoxone this year.)

Don’t forget: all specialist teams will also have trainings this winter for credits for recertification. Activities like Fruit and Vegetable Expo, Corn Congress, Soybean Congress, Lake Ontario Fruit School – are all opportunities for you to earn credits this winter. Every summer the teams also have tours and more opportunities to get credits – check out the calendar page (toggle at the top of this page) for more information on those events.

Dates for 2020: ( these are the normal training dates held each year, check back for the 2021/2022 dates as they become available)

2019 Processing Veg Advisory Mtg - Dec 17, Batavia, contact Julie Kikkert.

2020 Finger Lakes (Ontario) Produce Auction Education Meeting - Jan 2 (Jan 8), Penn Yan (Stanley), contact Judson Reid.

LOF Winter School –  Feb 3/4 2020  Should be about 3 credits at Fruit School in Lockport and Webster. Will need to be there all day, more TBD.. 

Empire State Producers Expo (Use to be called Fruit and Veg Expo): Syracuse, January 14-16, 2020. Several credits are available each session – you must remain in the room to receive any credits for that session.  Becker Forum will be held on Jan 14.

Corn Congress - Jan 8/9 in Batavia/Waterloo, 8:30am - 3:30pm,  details went out in the mail on Dec 2.  Email Judy for more information.

Soybean and Small Grains Congress - Feb 5/6 in Batavia/Waterloo, 10am - 3pm.  Email Judy for more information.

Last updated July 29, 2021