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Fumigation
NEW Changes For Fumigant Applicators in Minnesota
Including:
- Soil, stored grain and other commodities and their facilities, and all other fumigant applications
- For Minnesota's Private, Commercial, Noncommercial and Structural Pest Control (SPCA) pesticide applicators.
The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) has made recent changes in soil fumigant safety, training and label use requirements. All soil fumigants are now also classified as Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs). For more information see New Safety Measures for Soil Fumigant Pesticides on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) web site.
In response, the MDA has made changes in fumigant applicator licensing and endorsements and their requirements starting February 1, 2013 and outlined here.
Changes in Commercial, Noncommercial and SPCA Fumigant Licensing and Endorsements
Changes in Private Applicator Fumigant Endorsements
Exams and New Study Manuals for Fumigant Category and Endorsements
- See the Pesticide Applicator Exams section below for information on preparing for and scheduling exams.
- See the Study Manuals section at the bottom of the page for information on the new study manuals for Stored Grain and Fumigation and for Soil Fumigation exams.
Changes in Commercial, Noncommercial and SPCA Fumigant Licensing and Endorsements
Category N: Stored Grain and Fumigation
Category N: Stored Grain and Fumigation no longer includes soil fumigation
and is required for:
- Commercial applicators applying any fumigant other than a soil fumigant
- Noncommercial applicators applying any RUP fumigant other than a soil fumigant
- Commercial and Noncommercial applicators with a 2012 license in Category N: Stored Grain and Fumigation will experience no licensing, recertification or other changes in renewing their license for 2013, other than
- they may no longer apply soil fumigants.
- Recertification will continue to be required every other year.
- There is a new exam starting February 1, 2013 and a new study manual for Commercial and Noncommercial applicators seeking a new Category N: Stored Grain and Fumigation license (see Study Manuals section at the bottom of the page).
SPCA Structural Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement
Renamed the current structural fumigation endorsement to Structural Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement and is required for:
- SPCA applying any fumigant other than a soil fumigant, who first must be a licensed SPCA Journeyman or Master applicator
- SPCA licensed applicators with a 2012 structural fumigation endorsement will experience no licensing, recertification or other changes in renewing their endorsement for 2013, other than
- a change in the name of the endorsement and
- they may no longer apply soil fumigants
- Re-endorsement will continue to be required every other year.
- There is a new exam starting February 1, 2013 and a new study manual for SPCA licensed applicators seeking the Structural Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement (see Study Manuals below).
Category O: Soil Fumigation
New license Category O: Soil Fumigation required for:
- Commercial, Noncommercial and SPCA applicators applying any soil fumigant
- Starting February 1, 2013 a Commercial, Noncommercial or SPCA applicator is required to become licensed in the new Category O: Soil Fumigation to apply any fumigant to soil.
- This will require passing the Category O: Soil Fumigation exam and meeting other MDA initial license requirements.
- Recertification will be required every other year. For more information see the MDA web page Pesticide Applicator Initial License and Renewal Requirements.
- Commercial and Noncommercial applicators, including those holding Category N: Stored Grain and Fumigation, must now obtain a Category O: Soil Fumigation license before making any soil fumigant applications in 2013.
- SPCA applicators, including those holding the Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement, must obtain a Category O: Soil Fumigation license before making any soil fumigant applications in 2013.
- A new study manual is available for Category O: Soil Fumigation - see Study Manuals below.
Changes in Private Fumigations Endorsements
Private Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement
Renamed the current private fumigation endorsement to Private Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement and is required for:
- Private applicators applying any RUP fumigant other than a soil fumigant, who first must be a Certified Private applicator
- Certified Private applicators holding a private fumigation endorsement in 2012 will experience no changes in 2013, other than
- a change in name to Private Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement and
- they may no longer apply soil fumigants.
- They will remain on their current re-endorsement schedule (endorsement expires the same time as their Private Certification).
- There is a new exam, exam procedure and new study manual for Certified Private applicators seeking the Private Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement or Re-endorsement starting February 1, 2013 (see Study Manuals below).
- To obtain the endorsement the first time and to obtain a re-endorsement for one that has expired, individuals first must be a Certified Private Applicator.
- See the MDA web pages Private Pesticide Applicator Certification for more information.
- Starting February 1, 2013 the closed-book and monitored Private Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement exam will no longer be offered by county extension offices.
- It will be conducted by the MDA through the same exam offerings used for Commercial and Noncommercial pesticide license exams. See the MDA web pages Private Pesticide Applicator Certification for more information.
Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement
New Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement required for:
- Private applicators applying any soil fumigant
- Starting February 1, 2013 any Private applicators who will be applying any soil fumigant on their land or sites are required to obtain the new Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement.
- Even if your you hold a current Private Stored Grain and Fumigation (until 2012 called the Private Fumigation Endorsement) and you will be applying a soil fumigant you will need to also obtain the new Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement and take the soil fumigation exam.
- The Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement will expire at the same time an individual's Private Certification expires.
- There is a new exam, exam procedure and new study manual for Certified Private applicators seeking the Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement or re-endorsement starting February 1, 2013 (see Study Manuals below).
- To obtain the endorsement the first time and in future years to obtain the re-endorsement for one that has expired, individuals first must be a Certified Private Applicator.
- See the MDA web pages Private Pesticide Applicator Certification for more information.
- Starting February 1, 2013 the closed-book and monitored Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement exam will be conducted by the MDA through the same exam offerings used for Commercial and Noncommercial pesticide license exams. See the MDA web page Private Pesticide Applicator Certification for more information.
Pesticide Applicator Exams
- All exams for Commercial, Noncommercial and Structural licenses and endorsements are available from the MDA.
- Starting February 1, 2013 the exams for Private Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement and the Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement will also be provided through the MDA exam system.
- Private Pesticide Applicator Certification exams continue to be offered through the University of Minnesota Extension
- New exams for the both Soil fumigation and for Stored Grain and Fumigation begin February 1, 2013 and are based on the new study manuals.
- All MDA exams are closed-book and monitor and require 70% correct answers or more to pass.
- See the MDA's web page
for Steps to Successfully Completing a Pesticide Certification Exam
- MDA exams are available in most counties of the state. See MDA's Testing Locations web page to schedule an exam.
NEW Study Manuals
The new (2013) Stored Grain and Fumigation
Pesticide Applicator Safety Education Manual is now available for purchase for preparing for exams scheduled to be taken after February 1, 2013 for:
- Private Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement
- Commercial and Noncommercial Category N: Stored Grain and Fumigation
- Structural Stored Grain and Fumigation Endorsement
The new (2012) Soil Fumigation Manual is now available for purchase for preparing exams scheduled to be taken after February 1, 2013 for:
- Private Soil Fumigation Endorsement
- Commercial, Noncommercial and SPCA Category O: Soil Fumigation
For information on purchasing these and other pesticide safety education manuals for exam preparation see the Study Manuals web page.
Individuals taking any fumigation license or endorsement exam (Private, Commercial, Noncommercial or SPCA) through January 31, 2013 should use the old versions of the manuals, which were discontinued for sale on December 15, 2012. All manual orders received after December 15, 2012 for these discontinued old manual versions will be returned.
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