Private pesticide applicators must complete their yearly training requirements by Sept. 30. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship extended the annual April 15 deadline to Sept. 30 this year due to the pandemic. IDALS is also adding in-person testing sites in September to help commercial applicators and private applicators get certified. 

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve offered additional flexibility, training and testing options to help meet the needs of pesticide applicators,” says Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig. “We appreciate our continued partnership with the ag community and Iowa State University Extension. Together, we’re ensuring pesticide applicators have opportunities to complete their training and testing requirements so they can maintain business continuity during these challenging times.” 

Private pesticide applicator training 

In-person private pesticide applicator training is offered by ISU Extension at many county Extension offices around the state. Preregistration is required. For a list of upcoming training dates and locations, and more information about the site’s COVID-19 protocols, pesticide applicators should contact their local ISU Extension office or visit the map of county services. 

Where can you take the test after you take the training? The Iowa Department of Agriculture is resuming in-person testing sites to help both commercial and private pesticide applicators obtain their certifications after COVID-19 caused the cancellation of several in-person testing sessions in spring. 

Beginning Sept. 4, in-person commercial and private pesticide applicator exams will be available at select ISU Extension county offices. Individuals will take the tests in-person using social distancing guidelines to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Preregistration is required to take the exam. Pesticide applicators can sign up for in-person testing at the IDALS website.

Online private applicator exam 

Private pesticide applicators who want to obtain or renew their certifications can register to take the private certification exam online. Register online. 

Once applicants pass the online exam, they will use their certification number to log in to the self-service portal at iowaagriculture.force.com/pesticideapplicator/s/login and submit their application, test results and payment. Once the application, payment, training and testing information are received and processed by the IDALS Pesticide Bureau, the licenses and certifications will be sent directly to the applicants. 

Applicants can also mail their test results, training and application forms, and payments to the IDALS Pesticide Bureau to obtain the private applicator certificate. 

Register for self-service portal 

In April, IDALS launched an online, self-service portal. The portal uses each pesticide applicator’s unique certification number to match their application and payment to their training and testing history. 

By moving the process online, individual pesticide applicators can access their records anytime by logging into the self-service portal. The system also has a public search function at iowapestapplicators.secure.force.com/lookup that empowers customers and employers to verify that their pesticide applicators are licensed to work in the state of Iowa. To register for the self-service portal, visit iowaagriculture.force.com

Additional Information 

For additional information about COVID-19-related pesticide applicator training and testing options for both private and commercial applicators, visit iowaagriculture.gov/covid-19. For information regarding pesticide applicator licensing and certification, call the IDALS Pesticide Bureau at 515-281-8591 or email [email protected]. 

Source: IDALS, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.