District 3 Spring Newsletter

Dear District 3 Private Applicators, 

You are now in the first year of your five-year recertification cycle. You have until December 31, 2025 to obtain the six required recertification credits in order to renew your license for the next cycle. We encourage applicators to obtain these credits throughout the cycle and not all in the last year. At this time there are limited onsite events available, but there are many webinars and online courses available for credits. Follow the instructions below to learn how to find these events. 

The Montana Department of Agriculture has announced they are still processing many private applicator renewals from the previous certification cycle. If you still have not received your private applicator license for the 2021-2025 certification period and need to purchase pesticides immediately contact your local MSU Extension agent. They will check your records and issue a temporary permit.

If you allowed your private applicator license to expire you can either take the Montana Private Applicator Certification Examby contacting an MSU Extension office or attend an Initial Private Applicator Training to regain your license. To take the exam please contact your local MSU Extension Agent. To attend a training please see the information for District 3 Initial Private Applicator Trainings below. 

District 3 Initial Private Applicator Trainings

MSU PEP along with Liberty, Blaine, Pondera, and Toole County Extension offices are hosting Initial Private Applicator Trainings on March 23, 2021. Initial Private Applicator Trainings are seven-hour programs covering the basics of pesticide use followed by an ungraded 50-question exam. Completion of the program meets the requirements to obtain a Montana Private Applicator License to apply restricted use pesticides on land you own, rent or lease, while receiving many valuable pesticide education opportunities.  These are onsite events receiving many over distance presentations (varies by location). Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to sign in.

For more information and to register please visit MSU PEP's event webpage. 

Agricultural Producer Survey - Win $50!

The Western Region Agricultural Stress Assistance Program (WRASAP) is looking for Montana agricultural producers to take a survey to help them create mental health resources for farmers, ranchers and agricultural workers in the Western Region of the US. The survey takes 13-minutes and on completion you will be qualified to with a $50 online gift card. Take the WRASAP Survey.

Survey Regarding Beginning Producers

MSU Blaine County Extension and MSU Silver Bow County Extension has teamed up with Bar 88 Consulting and Livestock to conduct a survey to better understand the interest, capabilities and professional development needs of Montana beginning farmers and ranchers. Collected responses will be used only at an aggregate level to guide the development and delivery of Montana beginning producer training opportunities. 

The survey should take fewer than 10 minutes to complete. To encourage participation and thank you for sharing your valuable input, participants returning a completing survey will be eligible to win one of three Bequet Sea-Salt Carmel 1-lb bags (Montana Made in Bozeman). Take the survey.

Finding Webinars and Online Courses for Recertification Credits

Webinars are live events which occur online through a web conference platform such as WebEx or Zoom. These events require you to be present for attendance checks and occur at a specific time and date. Online courses can be completed at anytime at your own pace and are offered through a variety of hosts on various topics.

The Montana Department of Agriculture (MDA) Course Locator is the best way to find available webinars and online courses. From the search page select "Online" or "Webinar" from "Meeting Type." Select "60 - Private Agricultural Pest Control" under "Category." This will ensure the events listed are available for private applicator credits. Once you have entered those search terms, click "Search." Review the list of webinars or courses for topics you are interested. Click on "Details" next to the course listing for information on how to register for a webinar or online course. Check back frequently as events are added as they are submitted to the MDA for approval.

Upcoming Webinars for Recertification Credits

The following list of webinars available for private applicator credits are hosted by various organizations. Please use the information provided to register for each event. This list is not comprehensive. Webinars are added as they are sent to the MDA for approval. Use the instructions above to search for more webinars. 

Upcoming Onsite Events in District 3

The following list of private applicator events are hosted by various organizations in your district. Please use the provided contact information for each event to register and obtain more information. This list is not comprehensive and only represents a few currently approved courses. Courses are added as they are sent to the MDA for approval. Use the MDA Course Locator to search for more events.

Recent Publications and News Updates

MSU Extension Resource: MT AgCast Podcast

Montana State University Extension presents the Montana AgCast, a series designed for the benefit of the Montana agriculture producer. Regardless if you are in the pickup feeding or in the tractor seeding, MSU Extension will be bringing you new and interesting content straight to your ears. Our podcast is produced to bring you the insights from MSU agriculture professionals and researchers so that you can get up-to-date information outside of the classroom and off the page.

To listen to MT AgCast visit https://agcast.buzzsprout.com/, or download on podcast applications by searching MT AgCast.

 

Private applicator District 3 recertification cycle

 

Montana Private Applicator District 3 consists of the following counties and reservations in North Central Montana: Blackfeet Reservation, Blaine, Cascade, Chouteau, Fort Belknap Reservation, Glacier, Hill, Liberty, Pondera, Rocky Boy's Reservation, Teton and Toole. District 3's five-year recertification cycle expires on 12/31/2025. Applicators wishing to renew their license will need to obtain six recertification credits by this date. You can look up your current credits online, as well as look for currently available pesticide education courses.

 

MSU Extension Pesticide Education Program 
P.O. Box 172900 Bozeman, MT 59717-2900
406-994-5067 or 406-994-5178
[email protected]
pesticides.montana.edu

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