Upcoming Apple Meetings, Pesticide License Changes and Recertification Credits 

 

 

By:  Eddie Ayers, County Extension Agent

 

The UGA Extension office in Gilmer County is sponsoring two North Georgia Apple Production Meetings in Ellijay for the 2017 growing season.  These meetings are open to the public and free of charge.  Pre-registration is not required to attend these meetings.

The first one will be held on Thursday, January 19^th at the Gilmer County Library, 268 Calvin Jackson Drive, in Ellijay from 1:30 pm to 3:45 pm.  This meeting will feature specialists from North Carolina State University and the University of Tennessee along with the new researcher from North Carolina State University.  The focus of this meeting will be orchard management.  The specialists will discuss weed control, water management, and research projects.

The second apple production meeting will be held on Thursday, February 2^nd, also at the Gilmer County Library from 1:30 pm to 3:45 pm.  This meeting will focus on Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Producers will not only hear information about pesticide regulations and safety but for current pesticide license holders, in addition to the educational meetings, it will also be an opportunity to earn credit toward recertification of their license.

Changes are coming in early 2017 for producers that would like to obtain a private pesticide applicators license.  Currently there is no cost for a private pesticide license.  To start the process, a producer can take an on-line class that lasts about 2 or 3 hours and once the on-line portion is complete, the producer presents a certificate of completion to the County Agent in the local UGA Extension office who then fills out another form (that includes a notarized affidavit plus a copy of a picture ID) and this paperwork is submitted to the Georgia Department of Agriculture in Atlanta who then issues the license.  At the present time a private pesticide applicators license holder has to earn 3 recertification credits in 5 years to maintain their license.

In the very near future, the on-line class will be longer which means more time consuming and it will be more difficult.  There will also be a fee for a license plus more recertification credits will be required to maintain the license.  Final details for the private and commercial licenses have not been worked out, but big changes are on the way.

If a producer currently has a license, they are grandfathered in under the current system and can keep their license, and as long as a license holder does not let the license expire, they will not have to take another test, so license holders need to stay current on their recertification hours.

There are two other area meetings that offer pesticide recertification credit.  One is the Georgia Green Industry Associations Winter Green event being held January 25-27 in Duluth at the Infinite Energy Center. Details can be found at: http://www.ggia.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=901065 and the other one is the North Georgia Gardening Symposium being held February 23^rd in Acworth at the Chattahoochee Technical College North Metro Campus. Details can be found at:  http://aceweb.chattahoocheetech.edu/wconnect/CourseStatus.awp?&course=17SN73741251 and if you have questions about any of these meetings, recertification credit or the status of your pesticide license, feel free to contact me in the Gilmer UGA Extension office.

Gilmer County Extension Agent               Fannin County Extension Coordinator

1123 Progress Road, Suite A                      205 Church Street, Suite 1

Ellijay,  GA 30540                                             Blue Ridge, GA 30513

Phone 706 635-4426                                      Phone 706 632-3061

Fax 706 636-4426                                             Fax 706 632-4718

 

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