Wild Blueberry Newsletter, December 2017

Wild Blueberry Newsletter header graphic, text and a photo of blueberries and leaves

December 2017

77th Annual Agricultural Trade Show, Pesticide Applicator Exam Training

The Maine Board of Pesticides Control will offer training at the Agricultural Trade Show, Augusta Civic Center in the Fort Western Room, on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, with check in at 9:00 a.m. and training from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. This training will only cover the core exam, which is required for either an Agricultural Basic or a Private Applicator License. Examinees should study the Core Manual before attending this training.  Manuals are available from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The Private Applicator License also requires passing a commodity exam which you will have to arrange to take separately at a later date.

In the afternoon, there will be an opportunity to take the core exam from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Space is limited and pre-registration is required by filling out the online form or by calling 207.287.2731.  For more information on BPC licensing, visit the Board of Pesticides Control Licensing and Certification page (Maine.gov Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry website).

For more information about the Board of Pesticides visit the Board of Pesticides Control page (Maine.gov Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry website).

Pesticide Credit Talks

There will be Pesticide Applicator Recertification sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Kennebec/Penobscot Room at the Civic Center in Augusta, Maine.  Licensed pesticide applicators and dealers who attend sessions may earn credits towards recertification. One credit will be allowed for each hour-session attended.

The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, January 9, 2017

  • 9:30-10:30 a.m.: UMCE, Farmer Adaptation to Changing Weather, Glen Koehler, UMCE
  • 10:45-11:45 a.m.: Managing Transgenic Corn in a No-Till Production System: Reducing Chances for Resistance, John Jeminson, UMCE
  • 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Pollinators and Agriculture, Eric Venturini, Farm Bill Pollinator Conservationist and NRCS Partner Biologist
  • 2:45-3:45 p.m.: Plant Diseases Seen in 2017, Alicyn Smart, UMCE

Wednesday, January 10, 2017

  • 9:00-10:00 a.m.: Potato Pest Management Update, Jim Dwyer, UMCE
  • 10:15-11:15 a.m.: Recent Ornamental Pests: UMaine Insect ID Lab Samples, Clay Kirby, UMCE
  • 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: BPC Update, BPC Staff
  • 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Keep Pests Out of Your Post-Harvest Storage, Kathy Murray, DACF
  • 3:00-4:00 p.m.: Board of Pesticides Control Meeting
  • 4:00-5:00 p.m.: Open Forum for Growers, Applicators and the Public, Board of Pesticide Control
  • 5:00-6:00 p.m.: BPC Meeting, Continued

Thursday, January 11, 2017

  • 9:00-10:00 a.m.: Wild Blueberry Pest Management Update, Frank Drummond and Seanna Annis, UMaine
  • 10:15-11:15 a.m.: Browntail Moth and Winter Moth: What You Need to Know, Charlene Donahue, MFS
  • 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: What to Expect When You’re Inspected, John Pietroski, BPC

Get Your Respirator Fit Test Done on the Day before 2018 Ag Trades Show

Under the revised Worker Protection Standards: Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Comparison to the New Protections to the Existing Protections, October 2015, US EPA (PDF), anyone applying pesticides that require the use of a respirator, must complete (and maintain a record of) a respirator fit test. Respirator fit tests must be completed with the same make, model, size, and style of respirator that will be used in the field. Prior to respirator fit testing, each applicator must pass (and maintain a record of) a medical evaluation demonstrating they are physically fit enough to wear a respirator.  Sign up as soon as possible to make sure that you can get the medical evaluation done in time. Join us at the Augusta Civic Center on Monday, January 8 (the day before the Ag Trades Show) to get your respirator fit test done. Pre-registration is required. Registration costs $10. Prior to your appointment:

  • Call Lynne Hazelton at the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension Office to sign up for a time slot for your test. Lynne Hazelton, 207.781.6099, b.hazelton@maine.edu.

*Complete your medical evaluation and receive a written medical determination that you are physically able to use a respirator A.S.A.P. This may require a follow-up medical examination if deemed necessary by the medical provider.

At your fit test appointment:

  • Bring your medical evaluation clearance form. You will not be fit-tested without it.
  • Bring the respirator that you use in the field. Each person should have his or her own respirator.
  • If the respirator you bring does not pass the fit test, you may have to purchase a new respirator with a better fit.
  • Beards cannot be worn with tight-fitting facemasks. Please shave before coming to your fit test.

With questions about respirator fit testing or other Worker Protection Standard regulations, contact Amanda Couture, Amanda.Couture@maine.gov or (207) 287- 2731, at the Maine Board of Pesticides Control.

Census of Agriculture 

This census occurs every five years so it is very important that you respond. See enclosed press release giving details.

Sincerely,

Dave
David E. Yarborough
Extension Blueberry Specialist

Wild blueberry fact sheets, past newsletters, contacts, resource links, calendar of events, and more can be found on the Cooperative Extension’s Maine Wild Blueberries website.

Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.

© 2017

Call 800.287.0274 (in Maine), or 207.581.3188, for information on publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, or visit extension.umaine.edu.

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