Kentucky Private Pesticide Applicator Training Program Overview

Pesticide Safety Education Program

Certified Private Applicator

Private applicator means a person certified to use any pesticide for purposes of producing any agricultural commodity on property owned or rented by him or his employer, or to the lands of a farmer-neighbor, if applied without compensation other than trading of personal services between producers of agricultural commodities.

By regulation, all private applicators shall maintain records of applications of general and restricted use pesticides for three (3) years from the date of use or application. Records required under this section shall be made available to the Department of Agriculture upon request. There is no standard record form. Here is an example format that contains the necessary information.
Record.pdf

How To Become Certified

The Cooperative Extension Service is responsible for the training of private pesticide applicators in each of Kentucky's 120 counties. Contact the county extension office for more information. The certification is valid for 3 years. At that time, the applicator must attend another training session.

Minimum Standards for Private Applicators (Taken from Code of Federal Regulations Part 40 Protection of Environment)

A practical knowledge of common pests to be controlled and the damage caused by them.
Read and understand the label and labeling information including- common name of the pesticide applied, pests to be controlled, timing and methods of application, safety precautions, any pre-harvest or re-entry restrictions and any specific disposal procedures.
Apply pesticides in accordance with the label instructions and warnings, be able to prepare proper concentrations and calibrate application equipment.
Recognize local environmental situations that must be considered during application to avoid contamination.
Be able to recognize poisoning symptoms and procedure to follow in case of a pesticide accident.

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