Restricted use pesticides are pesticides not available to the general public due to their potential to cause unreasonable adverse effects to the environment, and injury to applicators or bystanders without added restrictions. The purchase and use of these products is restricted to certified applicators who have been trained to properly store, handle, and apply these chemicals.
A private applicator is an individual who purchases and/or uses, or supervises the use of a restricted-use pesticide on their own property or anyone else’s property. These include farmers, greenhouse, and nursery operators.
Agriculture producers who wish to be certified as a private applicator are invited to attend a training on February 21 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m at the Smith County Ag Center. There is a $75 fee for for being certified. Once the training is completed and fees are paid, a card will be mailed from the TN Department of Agriculture which will allow producers to purchase restricted use pesticides.
In addition to the Private Applicator class, a Dicamba Stewardship training will also be held on February 21 at 12:30 p.m. at the Smith County Ag Center. The TN Department of Agriculture is requiring that anyone applying Dicamba “in-crop” with xtend crops must have both a Private Applicator certification and the new Dicamba Stewardship training. The cost of the one-hour Dicamba training is $25.
If you have questions or need more information about these trainings, please contact the University of Tennessee Extension office at 615-735-2900.
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