Expanding Pesticide Programming through Partnership with Florida Farm Bureau
Agronomy & Pest Management
Danielle Sprague Williams
Commercial Horticulture Agent
UF/IFAS Extension Gadsden County
Quincy
Abstract
When the Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Leadership Program met to plan the 2021 YF&R Leadership Conference, membership feedback for increased professional development through offering pesticide continuing education credits (CEUs) to attendees was a topic of discussion. Not having offered this opportunity before, a member in the Leadership Program, a producer with whom I have a working relationship with, contacted me for guidance on how to provide the educational content needed to offer CEUs during the conference breakout session. The inquiry resulted in this educational program to enable YF&R Conference attendees to earn pesticide and Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) CEUs for the first time in conference history, while also educating them on the licensing process as well as farm pesticide safety practices. These CEUs allow applicators to maintain their licenses for renewal without taking the necessary exams for recertification. We developed two 50-minute presentations, earning a total of 2 pesticide CEUs and 1 CCA CEU. One presentation focused on the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) and its requirements for agricultural operations including farms, nurseries, greenhouses, and forests. The second presentation focused on pest identification, pest life cycle, and diagnostic resources offered through Extension. Across the two breakout sessions, there were a total of 64 attendees who gained knowledge of pesticide safety and licensing. Of those, 21 attendees earned pesticide CEUs and 1 earned CCA CEUs. Those in attendance without a license, learned about the process for selecting and earning a license. The first ever, CEU breakout session at the Florida Farm Bureau YF&R Leadership Conference was successful in offering educational content and received positive feedback from session attendees. A great working relationship with Farm Bureau at the local level, lead to the invitation to offer educational programming at their State YF&R Leadership Conference.
Authors: Ethan Carter, Danielle Sprague
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Ethan Carter Regional Crop IPM Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Jackson County, Florida, 32448
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Danielle Sprague Agriculture and Natural Resource Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Jefferson County, Florida, 32344