Brian Triplett: Ag Biz

Pesticides are useful tools around the farm and ranch. In forage production systems they can help conserve valuable water and nutrient resources by eliminating competition by unwanted vegetation. They can be more economical to use in weed control programs than pasture mowing, which mainly provides a cosmetic fix and not a long term solution to a problem.

However, like any tool, they take a little training to use properly. Just as a nail gun can be a dangerous object in the hands of an inexperienced framer, pesticides in the hands of an untrained applicator can wind up destroying the very crop you were trying to protect. Later this month, the Smith County Extension office will be host to two programs related to pesticides �a training for people wanting to purchase restricted use pesticides and a field tour of research demonstration plots of some pasture weed control products.

The Extension office will have a private pesticide applicator training and testing class on Aug. 28, in Room 116 of the Smith County Cotton Belt Building, 1517 West Front St. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the training will conclude at 1:30 p.m.

If you would like to purchase restricted use pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides or rodenticides) to help you produce an agricultural commodity on property that you own or lease, then you need a private applicator�s license. According to Texas Agriculture Code, you must attend a training class like this one offered by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service before the Texas Department of Agriculture will allow you to take the private applicator's test.

After attending the class and passing the test you may apply for the license through the TDA, which costs $60 and is good for five years. During the five-year period, you must participate in 15 hours of continuing education classes offered by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and private companies in order to be able to renew your license.

Cost for the class is $25 per person, which includes the study guide. It is recommended that you purchase and read the entire study guide before attending the class. Please call 903-590-2980 by Aug. to reserve a space in the class.

The Rains, Smith, Van Zandt and Wood County Extension offices have teamed up these past three years to conduct a long-term study of effective and cost-efficient chemicals for the control of blackberries and dewberries in forage production systems. This study has been conducted in the Hogansville area of Rains County.

Another study plot, this one focusing on the control of the tough, toxic, perennial weed Carolina horse nettle, was established in 2008 in the Golden area of Wood County. A tour will be conducted 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Aug. 29 to view these plots and discuss the results of these studies.

The tour will start at the blackberry/dewberry plots in Hogansville and then continue to Golden to view the Carolina horse nettle plots. It will conclude at the pavilion in Golden with a free lunch sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.

Following lunch, the agriculture Extension agents from the four host counties will have a roundtable discussion of pasture weed control and other topics of interest brought forth by attendees. Attendees with Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide licenses will receive three hours of continuing education credit. If you plan to attend this event, we ask that you reserve your space by calling the Smith County Extension office at 903-590-2980 by Aug. 22. Directions to the first tour stop will be provided when you register.

Persons wishing to attend either of these programs who have special needs are asked to contact the office at least five working days in advance of the program so that necessary accommodations can be made.

Brian Triplett is the Smith County Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources. He can be reached at 903-590-2980 or via e-mail at b-triplett@tamu.edu or on the Web at http://agrilifeblogs.tamu.edu/mt/smith or http://smith-tx.tamu.edu.

Brian Triplett
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