Pesticide training offered at 14 locations

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, is offering a free workshop Jan. 29 to train people throughout the state how to properly handle and use pesticides. The workshop is meant for certified applicators, people who regularly handle pesticides as part of their jobs, such as farmers, ranchers, park employees and groundskeepers.

“Pesticides are poisons, chemicals that kill something else,” Cooperative Extension Pesticide Safety Program Assistant Melody Hefner said. “So it is important for applicators to know how to apply them safely. The workshop teaches applicators how to keep themselves, other people, pets, livestock and wildlife safe and protect the environment.”

The training will be held in Reno at the Washoe County Cooperative Extension office, 4955 Energy Way, and will be available via videoconference to 13 other Cooperative Extension locations throughout Nevada, including Battle Mountain, Caliente, Carson City, Elko, Ely, Eureka, Fallon, Hawthorne, Lovelock, Pahrump, Tonopah, Winnemucca and Yerington. The training runs from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cooperative Extension, in partnership with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, has offered pesticide application workshops for the last 20 years, training thousands of Nevadans in safe pesticide use.

The Jan. 29 workshop will help those who have not yet been certified to prepare for the next Certified Pesticide Applicator exam. The exam costs $25 and will be offered Feb. 4 in Yerington and Feb. 5 in Sparks. Exams are also given weekly at the Nevada Department of Agriculture office in Sparks by appointment only. For those who are already certified, the workshop will provide continuing education credits, which are required to maintain certification.

Hard copies of the study manual for the exam are available for purchase from Cooperative Extension for $15 or may be downloaded online for free at www.nevadapesticideeducation.com.

Limited seating is available for the Jan. 29 workshop. Preregister by Jan. 24 by contacting Hefner at 775-336-0247 or hefnerm@unce.unr.edu.