|
Agriculture Department outlines pesticide application regulations as
farmers prepare for soybean rust
Farmers
looking to obtain private or commercial applicator license should
apply now
Send a link to a friend
[MARCH 10, 2005]
SPRINGFIELD -- On
Wednesday, Illinois Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke urged farmers
wishing to obtain a private or commercial pesticide applicator's
license to do so before it is time to apply the product. Fungicides,
which may be needed to combat a soybean rust outbreak, are covered
under the same regulations set for all pesticide applications by the
Illinois Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Environmental
Programs.
|
|
"Farmers have spent much of the winter
gathering information and trying to prepare as much as possible for
the potential arrival of this plant disease that could have
devastating effects on our state's soybean crop," Hartke said. "In
the event of an emergency, many farmers will be prepared to spray
their own crops, which they do not need a special license to do.
However, if they intend to spray fields that belong to other area
farmers to reduce the spread of rust, they will need to obtain an
applicator's license, depending on the specific situation."
The Agriculture Department
requirements and restrictions for pesticide application follow:
-
An
individual farmer can apply general-use pesticides on his or her
own farm without any type of pesticide applicator license
issued by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
-
An
individual farmer can apply restricted-use pesticides on his or
her own farm only if he or she has a private applicator license
issued by the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
-
An
individual farmer can apply general-use and restricted-use
pesticides on his or her farm and up to two neighbors' farms in
exchange for labor only with a private applicator license.
However, no monetary payment is allowed.
-
An
individual can apply general-use and restricted-use pesticides on
a commercial basis to the lands of another only with a commercial
operator or commercial applicator license. In the case of an
individual licensed as a commercial operator, the individual may
only apply such pesticides under the direction of a commercial
applicator who has been designated on the operator's license.
- An individual with a commercial
operator license, working under the supervision of an individual
with a commercial applicator license for one company may not apply
pesticides for a second company unless the first individual
also obtains an operator license under the second company.
[to top of second column in this article] |
Any farm that is owned, rented or
leased by the farmer or by the farmer's employer, is considered his
or her "own" farm in these examples of allowable applications for
each license status:
-
No
license -- General-use pesticides on own farm.
-
Private
license -- General-use or restricted-use pesticides on own farm
plus on up to two other farms in exchange for labor only (not
for compensation).
-
Commercial operator license – General-use or restricted-use
pesticides applied commercially (for compensation) onto the
property of others only under the direction of the licensed
applicator listed on the operator's license. Evidence of
financial responsibility, or liability insurance, is required for
the company under whom the operator and applicator are licensed.
An operator must obtain a separate license for each company he or
she works for.
- Commercial applicator license –
General-use or restricted-use pesticides applied commercially (for
compensation) onto the property of others. Evidence of financial
responsibility, or liability insurance, is required for the
company under whom the applicator is licensed.
For application details, call the
Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau of Environmental Programs
at 1 (800) 641-3934.
[Illinois
Department of Agriculture news release] |
