Private pesticide applicator Recertification

By John Hixson
Contributing Writer
Union County Post

Everyone who is certified should have received information on the recertification opportunities that are available. If you are planning to attend the February 11 evening meeting at the Union County Services Building or the February 12 morning session in Urbana, please submit your registration form by February 4. If you plan to attend the February 28 morning session in Bellefontaine, please send the registration form in by February 21. Note: You may earn recertification credits up to three years before you certification expires.
Also, if your certification expires in March 2008, don’t forget to send in the $30 fee to the Ohio Department of Agriculture before the end of March. You need to have your recertification hours completed and the fee submitted before the end of March or you will lose your certification!
New private pesticide
certification
The Ohio Department of Agriculture will be administering the exams for new private applicators on Thurs., March 13 at 9:45 a.m. at the Allen Township Building, 16945 Allen Center Rd. Please call the Extension Office at 644-8117 or 1-800-589-8584 to schedule a time for us to review with you the study materials and testing procedures. There is no charge for the testing When you pass the tests to become certified, then you will need to submit the $30 fee to ODA. This fee is for a three-year time period. You will also need to register for the testing with the Ohio Department of Agriculture for the testing session.
Utilizing cover crops in conservation practices
The All–Ohio Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society is sponsoring a conservation
practices workshop on Thursday, February 7, at 9 a.m. The workshop will be held at the Ohio Department of Agriculture Headquarters, 8995 E. Main St. in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and is scheduled to conclude at 3:00 p.m.
To attend, you will need to submit a registration form, which is available at the Extension Office or by calling 937-644-8117 or 1-800-589-8584. The cost of registration is $30.00.
The program will include the following topics and presenters: Overview of cover crops – Allan Sundermeier, OSU Extension Educator; Cover crop affect on soil quality, species screening – Dr. Rafiq, OSU Soil Specialist; Nutrient Cycling with cover crops – Jim Hoorman, OSU Extension Specialist; On-farm cover crop research with manure applications, Mark Fritz, Seneca County SWCD; NRCS Cover Crop Standards, Mark Scarpittin NRCS Conservation District; Policy implications that promote cover crops, Farm Bill, – Larry Antosch, Ohio Farm Bureau.

Don’t forget the Cattlemen’s banquet
The Union-Delaware County Cattleman’s Banquet will be on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 7 p.m. at All Occasions Banquet Building, 6989 Waldo–Delaware Rd., just south of Waldo. The meal will be prime rib. The guest speaker will be Kevin Knoon. Banquet tickets must be purchased by February 1 at Parrott Implement in Richwood, OSU Extension or from any cattleman’s member.
John Hixson a Union County Extension Educator, is with Agriculture, Natural Resources and Community Development. He can be reached by email:hixson.2@cfaes.osu.edu or by calling 937-644-8117 or 800- 589-8584. The OSU Extension website is http://union.osu.edu/.