Pesticide Safety Certification Training for Private Applicators in 2023
Producers who need to acquire or renew a private pesticide applicator license will have a number of options in 2023. To certify for a new license or recertify an existing one, the following options are available:
Attend a face-to-face training session,
Complete an online self-study program, or
Pass a private applicator exam administered by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA).
In addition, private licenses can be recertified by attending a Crop Production Clinic.
After completing one of the above options, the NDA will mail you a postcard requesting payment of a $25 licensing fee. Once the licensing fee is paid, a three-year license is issued.
Dates, locations, and registration information for 2023 face-to-face training sessions are listed online. Please note that additional training sessions may be added to this list as time goes forward. When selecting a training session from the list, be sure to check the rightmost column of the table for pre-registration instructions for each session.
For the online private self-study program, please visit https://pested.unl.edu on or after Jan. 1, 2023.
Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies pesticide products as restricted-use pesticides (RUP) if they pose an increased risk to human health or the environment. To purchase and use RUPs, a person must be certified/licensed by the state where they will be using the products. Nebraska Extension provides the pesticide safety training required to become certified/licensed. In Nebraska, applicator licenses last three years and must then be renewed.
A private applicator license allows a person to apply RUPs to property owned or rented by them for the purpose of producing agricultural commodities. It also allows them to apply RUPs to the property of another producer on their behalf, as long as there is no compensation other than trading of personal services.
Important Changes
Both new and recertifying applicators need to be aware of changes to Nebraska’s applicator certification/licensing program:
The minimum age to be a certified applicator is now 18 years. Noncertified applicators cannot use RUPs. (A limited exception exists for immediate family members of certified private applicators. Please contact NDA for more information.)
New and recertifying applicators should be prepared to present government-issued identification (e.g., a driver’s license) at training.
The appearance of private applicator licenses will be updated. They will now be a tan color and will be printed with “General Agriculture” and “00” on them to denote “standard” private certification.
Private applicators who wish to use RUP fumigants in their operation will need “standard” private applicator certification AND a fumigation certification. To use soil fumigants, an applicator must pass NDA’s Soil Fumigation exam; if this certification is obtained, it will appear on the license as “01A.” To use fumigants for grain bins or rodent burrows, an applicator must pass NDA’s Non-Soil and Structural Fumigation exam; if this certification is obtained, it will appear on the license as “11.” The Pesticide Education Office recommends preparing for these exams with its study manuals. Hard-copy manuals and their enhanced digital versions (“FlipBooks”) can be ordered online.
Private applicators who wish to apply RUPs aerially will need to acquire a commercial/noncommercial applicator license with the Aerial Pest Control category.
These changes are being phased in over a three-year period (2022-24) as applicators come up for recertification. For example, a private applicator whose license expires in 2024 can continue applying fumigants without a fumigation certification until he/she recertifies in 2024. For questions on these changes, please call the NDA at 402-471-2351 or the Pesticide Education Office at 402-472-1632.
Not Sure Where to Start?
This online tool can help you determine if you need a license, which type of license you need and how you can get it https://pested.unl.edu/certification-and-training.
Other Pesticide Training You May Need
Chemigation is the practice of applying agrichemicals (including pesticides) to cropland through an irrigation system. In Nebraska, this practice requires training and certification every four years. https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2022/chemigation-training-2023
XtendiMax®, Engenia® and Tavium® are RUPs containing dicamba that can only be used on dicamba-tolerant soybean and cotton crops. In addition to requiring a pesticide applicator license, you must also take yearly dicamba-specific training before purchasing or applying any of these three herbicides. The products’ registrants (Bayer, BASF, and Syngenta, respectively) will provide this training. For more information on RUP dicamba, please visit the NDA’s website. https://nda.nebraska.gov/pesticide/dicamba.html
Paraquat is an herbicide that is acutely toxic to humans; all products containing paraquat are RUPs. In addition to requiring a pesticide applicator license, you must take paraquat-specific training (every three years) to purchase or apply paraquat products. This paraquat training is available for free on the Extension Foundation Online Campus and can be completed at any time. https://campus.extension.org/
Soils School to Feature Soil, Water and Nutrient Management Concepts
The 2023 Soils School will be held in-person on Tuesday, Jan. 31 and Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, at Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC) in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Co-sponsored by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Agronomy and Horticulture and the Nebraska Agri-Business Association, this course has been designed for all employees for the application of advanced principles of soils, water and nutrient management. Leading experts from the University of Nebraska will be presenting the latest research-based information about soils management.
The course provides continuing education units (CEUs) for certified crop advisors. A total of three soil and water (SW) and eight nutrient management (NM) CEUs are being made available through this course.
Interested individuals can now view the 2023 Soils School Agenda https://na-ba.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023-Soils-School-Brochure.pdf for a list of session topics and presenters.
There is a $295 registration fee for members of the Nebraska Agri-Business Association and a $395 registration fee for non-members. Register online through the Nebraska Agri-Business Association’s calendar page https://na-ba.com/member-resources/calendar/.
For more information, contact Javed Iqbal, nutrient management and water quality specialist https://agronomy.unl.edu/iqbal.
Broadcast Interseeding with a Highboy — What We Learned in Year One
Katja Koehler-Cole - Extension Educator
Planting cover crops at the right time is a key driver of cover crop productivity. This August and September, a UNL-led team tested establishment of cereal rye and a cover crop mix in 29 corn fields using a Highboy Interseeder. Read more about the project’s collaborators and goals here.
As part of the project, we wanted to assess how well cover crops established using broadcast late-season interseeding. Broadcast seeds, especially without irrigation, usually have lower stand counts and more uneven stands than drilled seeds. We measured cover crop establishment by counting plants and calculating the percentage of dropped seeds that resulted in a plant.
In October 2022, we visited 19 of the 29 fields that were planted with the Highboy Interseeder. We took 10 random samples in each field. For each sample, we counted all cover crops growing within a 2-by-1-foot frame. We then calculated the percentage of seeds that emerged by dividing the number of plants with the pure, live cover crop seeding rate per square foot and multiplying by 100. An analysis of variance was then carried out to determine whether the rye and mix cover crops emerged at the same rate, what factor irrigation played in cover crop emergence, and whether stand counts varied between fields.
The seven fields that were planted to cereal rye were all irrigated. Stand counts ranged from seven plants/sq ft to 21 plants/sq ft. Considering the seeding rate of 34 seeds/sq ft, which is equivalent to about 70 lb/ac, between 20 and 61% of seeds actually emerged. Is this a sufficient number of plants per square foot? This can be a tricky question to answer since cereal rye produces many tillers, often compensating for low stand counts. Next spring, we will measure how much biomass cereal rye produced in these fields and will correlate the biomass with fall stand counts.
Sampling cover crops
The cover crop mix consisted of cereal rye planted at 29 seeds/sq ft (or 60 lb/ac), rapeseed planted at 11 seeds/sq ft (or 3 lb/ac) and purple-top turnip planted at 26 seeds/sq ft (or 7 lb/ac). Of the 12 fields planted to a cover crop mix, three were rainfed, one was sub-irrigated and eight were irrigated. Overall, there were 18 plants/sq ft, of which 12 were brassicas and six were cereal rye. On a percentage base, more brassicas emerged compared to cereal rye, possibly because brassicas’ smaller and round seeds make it easier to take up water for germination.
In most fields, the cover crop emerged unevenly, where in some areas of a field almost 100% of the seed emerged and in other areas no plants were found. This is likely due to differences in corn growth, slopes, or possibly the broadcast equipment itself. The high variability in stand counts is probably also the reason why we did not see a statistically significant difference between the irrigated and the rainfed fields. Next year, we will collect more samples per field and sample more rainfed fields to reduce variability in our statistical analysis.
Broadcast interseeding cover crops in a drought year is a challenge. While we are cautiously optimistic about the overall emergence and stand counts, winter and early spring precipitation will determine cover crop productivity next spring.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the collaborating farmers, NRDs and others for providing their fields and/or technical support for this project.
Funding
The project is a collaboration between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE), and several Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), including the Lower Platte North NRD, Lower Platte South NRD and the Upper Big Blue NRD.
SHIC’s 2022 Progress Report Details Deliverables to Safeguard Swine Health
US swine herd health is vulnerable to emerging domestic and international swine diseases, as the introduction of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in 2013 clearly revealed. African swine fever, as well as other foreign animal diseases, threaten today. Checkoff funding has given the Swine Health Information Center the opportunity to focus on emerging swine disease risk. SHIC’s 2022 Progress Report, presented to and accepted by the board of directors of the National Pork Board on December 15, 2022, details steps taken in 2022 to achieve the mission of safeguarding the health of the US swine herd.
Analysis of swine health data prompted SHIC to adapt its 2022 plan of work mid-year to address a vulnerability identified in nursery, finishing, and transport biosecurity. “Data analyzed during the first six months of 2022 highlighted those areas acting as a source of disease spread across the industry, in a never-ending circle,” observed SHIC Associate Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder. “SHIC’s new Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program has already received broad producer input into practical, cost-effective, and implementable ideas to investigate through this program.” SHIC sent a national and international call for research proposals to address biosecurity in the wean-to-harvest phase, expecting work to begin this winter. “This is an example of analyzing industry data, being nimble, and willing to change. SHIC changed its direction in quick response to an identified producer need,” stated SHIC Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg.
SHIC’s international monitoring uncovered an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis virus in Australia early in 2022. Australia’s pork producers have lost an estimated 6% to 10% of their production. “JEV is our potential ‘next PED,’ but worse because the virus can infect both pigs and people,” explained Dr. Sundberg. “We may be able to stop JEV from arriving in the US, or it may get here this week.” SHIC knows the US pork industry can’t expect the virus to wait on preparedness efforts so it prioritized the work to address it urgently. SHIC brought together Australian producers, animal health researchers, and animal and public health regulatory agencies with the USDA, CDC, and US researchers to see what lessons can be learned from the Australian experience to help prevent JEV from getting to the US or, if it does get in, to be prepared to respond quickly.
SHIC is guided by a board of directors made up of pork producers and swine veterinarians who expect timely, practical, and actionable outcomes. Unique among all other meat commodities in the US, or around the world, the US pork industry had the foresight to look for things coming at it instead of waiting and reacting to what happens.
Iowa Farm Bureau donates $100,000 to Iowa Food Bank Association to combat food insecurity during time of extreme need
Inflation and surging food prices have amplified the needs of many Iowans struggling with food security, with requests for food assistance now nearly five times greater than an average year. To assist the growing number of Iowa families facing food insecurity during the holiday season, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) today announced a $100,000 donation to the Iowa Food Bank Association (IFBA), which will provide half a million meals to impacted Iowans across the state. According to IFBA, the spike in food prices this year has resulted in an unprecedented demand, with many Iowans reaching out for the first time.
“This rise for assistance has significantly strained our resources - both in terms of donations and volunteers - and the demand for food continues to rise in every corner of the state,” said Linda Gorkow, executive director, Iowa Food Bank Association. “The IFBA member food banks provide more than 45 million meals to Iowans annually, and they are in great need of support in the form of food or funds to provide the much-needed food to nourish Iowans. This generous gift from the Iowa Farm Bureau comes at a crucial time and will make a tremendous impact helping us meet the increase in demand for food assistance.”
According to the IFBA, for every dollar received, they can distribute five meals to Iowans in need. IFBF’s donation will provide a minimum of 500,000 meals for Iowa families struggling through this challenging time.
“We recognize this is an especially difficult time for so many Iowans, and Iowa farmers have always rallied together to help their neighbors and communities during times of need,” said IFBF President Brent Johnson. “We are currently in one of those times of need with many Iowans struggling with food insecurity heading into the holidays, and we are happy to do what we can to help our communities during this crisis.”
In addition to the need for monetary and food donations, IFBA is facing several other challenges, including a significant decline in volunteers to stock shelves, prepare food and package meals. The donation of food is the first step in providing assistance, but IFBA says volunteers are essential to complete the distribution of food to Iowans in need, and a standing need for volunteers remains.
“We are grateful for our partners and supporters like Iowa Farm Bureau, which are essential in our fight against hunger and food insecurity in the state,” Gorkow said. “IFBA and its members rely on funding through private and public donations and are completely reliant upon the generosity of Iowans to provide meals to all areas of the state throughout its six regional food banks. We encourage anyone who is able to join our cause and help support our neighbors in need.”
For more information about how you can volunteer or donate to the food banks, please visit https://www.iowafba.org/.
2022 Iowa Beef Quality Assurance Award Recipients
One important pillar program under the Beef Checkoff umbrella is Beef Quality Assurance (BQA). It serves as a vehicle for encouraging industry advancement, where scientific standards are used to set the bar and drive change. As technology evolves, so do we as beef producers. In more recent years we have started communicating the merits of this program to our consumer customers. Research shows consumers respond positively to beef and how it’s raised once they understand that producers subscribe to continuing education via the BQA program. Each year the Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) acknowledges outstanding people in the industry who have helped facilitate that process. These awards were presented at the Iowa Cattle Industry Leadership Summit on December 15th at Prairie Meadows Conference Center.
2022 Iowa BQA Cow-Calf Award
This year’s cow-calf BQA recipient is a familiar face for many. Dr. John Greving, of AMVC Veterinary Services in Manning, Iowa, has been an advocate for the beef industry and promoter of the BQA program. He has worked closely with ISU Beef Extension Specialist Erika Lundy to integrate yearly BQA sessions into annual customer meetings and helps producers obtain their BQA certification.
“Veterinarians play an integral role in providing animal health expertise to support on-farm efforts to produce nutritious and delicious beef,” shared Casey Anderson, Director of Industry Relations with IBIC. “He regularly practices the important tenets of the BQA program but the separation is in Dr. Greving’s soft skills.”
One of Greving’s clients, Shayne Wiese, had this to share,“Dr. Greving is a standout when it comes to exercising patience and respect for the animal and farmer. It doesn’t matter if it’s 3 p.m. or 2 a.m. he always takes the time to do the job right. His bedside manner is what makes Dr. Greving excellent at what he does.” Additionally, “he’s extremely thorough in his work and isn’t afraid to deliver hard news in the name of being practical while keeping the farmer’s best interest in mind.”
Originally from Willey, Iowa, Dr. Greving has accrued a vast resume of experiences to which has been attributed to his diverse skill set today. As a 2013 graduate of Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, his veterinary passion lies in production medicine with an emphasis in cow/calf, feedlot, and reproductive services. He served four years of service with the Marine Corps and a three year stint with Pfizer Animal Health in the swine sector before spending three years at the DeWitt Vet Clinic in Eastern Iowa.
He is a member of the American Association of Bovine Veterinarians and American Association of Swine Veterinarians. He’s been an active voice within the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and continues to provide leadership over the ICA Bull Test animals across the state. Dr. Greving currently serves a six-county radius in western Iowa while tending to his own cow-calf operation in his spare time.
2022 Iowa BQA Marketer Award
As we all know, payday at the auction market can be an emotional event where we experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Iowa’s auction market owners continue to support Iowa beef producers through the ebb and flow of beef production. Today we are recognizing an auction market that starts with the customer first and has been integral in raising awareness of the BQA program. They have been a great ally in helping area ISU Beef Extension Specialist Denise Schwab host, organize and promote annual BQA certification events at their fall customer appreciation sale. Auction market owners play an integral role in the countryside, often having heavy influence on the opinions of local producers. So a convincing word to encourage producers to seek BQA certification is a great value to the industry. Furthermore, this market represents a wealth of industry knowledge with their own personal involvement in the industry spanning from cow-calf production, backgrounding cattle, a hand in the feedlot business and marketing added value genetics through seedstock sales. The Iowa Beef Industry Council congratulates Joe Nelson and Jesse Massman from Decorah Sales Commission on being selected to win the 2022 IA BQA Marketer Award.
2022 Iowa BQA Feedyard Award
Each year the Iowa BQA Feedyard Award has ample nominations that could receive recognition. This year’s winner is a family affair that stems from six generations of cattle feeders. Their end goal starts with the customer in mind where they’re poised on a positive customer experience and take a professional approach to cattle feeding. The yard was constructed in 1980 by their father who is still actively involved today whereas this brother sister duo actively works together to manage day to day operations where they balance duties as needed. When cattle are received they receive a tailored health protocol based on low, medium and high risk assessments. Integrating technology chute side, in the feed truck and across other areas of operation has helped professionalize operations and ensure customers receive as much detailed information as possible. Low-stress cattle handling is paramount and they work with employees to instill measures to avoid high-stress situations.
Industry veterinarian and Iowa State University faculty member Dr. Dan Thomson had this to say about the Lauritsen family, “Laurtisen Cattle Company has led our Iowa beef industry and championed Beef Quality Assurance in their feedlot. They hosted our Iowa Carcass Challenge cattle for two years providing excellent exposure to cattlemen on cattle care and Beef Quality Assurance in practice. The Laurtisen family continues to be a flagship example of humanely raising cattle to produce safe, wholesome, nutritious beef.” Congratulations to Ty, Claira and the entire team at Lauritsen Cattle Company of Exira, IA on winning the 2022 Iowa BQA Feedyard award.
Joint Statement from Secretary Vilsack and Ambassador Tai after Meeting with Mexican Government Officials
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai released the following statement after Secretary Vilsack and Ambassador Tai met with a delegation of senior Mexican Government officials in Washington, D.C. today:
“Today, we welcomed a number of senior Mexican Government officials to a meeting at the United States Department of Agriculture.
“There was candid conversation about our deep concerns around the restrictions of the importation of biotech corn and other biotechnology products stemming from President López Obrador’s 2020 decree. The Mexican delegation presented some potential amendments to the decree in an effort to address our concerns. We agreed to review their proposal closely and follow up with questions or concerns in short order. There is a joint recognition that time is of the essence and we must determine a path forward soon.”
Attending the meeting was H.E. Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, Secretary of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development; H.E. Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, Secretary of Economy; H.E. María Luisa Albores González, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources; H.E. Esteban Moctezuma, Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, and Mr. Alejandro Ernesto Svarch Pérez, Federal Commissioner.
Congress passes waterways legislation
The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) commended Congress for passing waterways legislation that would expedite U.S. lock and dam modernization.
The Senate approved the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 on Dec. 15, sending WRDA to the president for signature. The House approved the legislation on Dec. 8.
The final WRDA 2022 makes permanent a 2020 change in the cost-share formula for inland waterway construction projects to 35 percent from the general Treasury fund and 65 percent from the Inland Waterway Trust Fund. The new WRDA removes a provision that would sunset the 65-35 cost-share back to 50-50 in 10 years.
The bill, which authorizes more than $37 billion in federal funds for inland waterways projects, was passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Importantly, the bipartisan deal neither authorizes nor paves the way for the breach or removal of dams in the Columbia-Snake River System, which is the third largest grain export corridor in the world.
“American agriculture’s competitive advantage depends upon the reliability and cost-effectiveness of the national transportation system. The permanent change in the waterways cost-share formula passed by Congress this week will expedite the modernization of U.S. locks and dams and provide certainty for agriculture and other waterways stakeholders,” NGFA President and CEO Mike Seyfert said.
“We thank House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Chairman Peter DeFazio D-Ore.; Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) Chairman Tom Carper, D-Del.; EPW Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; and T&I Ranking Member Sam Graves, R-Mo., for reaching a bipartisan compromise on this important legislation. NGFA and its members commend Congress for undertaking the WRDA process every two years to examine policies and projects that enhance and promote the utilization of this critical mode of transportation.”
Bunge to Build New $550 Million Soy Processing Plant in Indiana
Bunge, a global leader in agribusiness, food and ingredients, plans to invest approximately $550 million to build a fully integrated soy protein concentrate (SPC) and textured soy protein concentrate (TSPC) facility. The new facility is expected to meet rising customer demand for key ingredients in the production of plant-based foods, processed meat, pet food, and feed products. Construction of the facility, that will be adjacent to and integrated with Bunge's soybean processing plant in Morristown, Indiana, is expected to start in the first quarter of 2023 and to be commissioned in mid-2025, creating around 70 full time jobs. It is expected to ultimately process close to an additional 4.5 million bushels of soybeans.
"As the world's largest oilseed processor, plant proteins are a natural extension of our industry leading oils, fats, and specialty ingredient portfolio. This new facility is an important step in our long-term strategy to strengthen our capabilities in downstream higher value food ingredients," said Greg Heckman, Bunge CEO.
The new facility is expected to add significant scale, efficiencies, and non-GMO capability to the company's existing US-based conventional SPC and TSPC operation in Bellevue, Ohio. The company plans to contract with farmers to establish a traceable soybean sourcing program starting with the 2025 harvest.
As part of Bunge's growth and its commitment to customers, the company also recently invested an additional $10 million to enhance its plant protein technical capabilities at the Creative Solutions Center near its St. Louis headquarters. Adding to its existing lipids and carbohydrates resources, the center now offers commercial pilot plants for alternative meat and dairy, processed meat, and beverages that complement its bakery and fry labs. It also features a sensory testing facility, an extrusion lab-with dry and high-moisture production-and a full-scale foodservice kitchen.
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