Announcements
Current pesticide applicator certifications were extended until December 31, 2021. If your certifications expire between January 31, 2020-November 30, 2021, they were extended.
You do not need temporary certification for categories that have been extended. Temporary certification is for new applicators or individuals seeking a category in addition to those they are currently certified in. To receive temporary certification, you must pass an online certification category exam hosted on the University of Wisconsin Pesticide Applicator Training (UW PAT) Program website; this temporary certification is valid until December 31, 2021.
When state and local restrictions allow for in-person certification exams, you will be able to obtain certification for the full five-year period by passing the category exam. You will not need to purchase additional training material from UW PAT to test in person; the training material purchased for your temporary certification will be honored when in-person testing resumes.
The online UW PAT training you took qualifies you for the 50% passing score when testing in-person at a UW-Madison Divison of Extension office. Your county Extension office will determine when they are able to offer an in-person private applicator certification exam based upon current restrictions.
About
Private applicators are people who apply restricted-use pesticides to their own or their employer's agricultural crops. In addition to farm crops, this includes Christmas trees, forests, and nursery and greenhouse plants.
Private applicators must be certified, but do not need a license.
Steps to certification
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Buy a training manual at your county University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension office.
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Schedule an exam time with your county UW-Division of Extension office.
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Pass an open-book exam.
- The UW-PAT Program will be providing online General Farm training for 2021. You may elect to take the online training or attend a training hosted by your County Extension Agent.
Certification is valid for five years. There are six categories for certification. You may be certified in more than one category.
100.0/101.0 | General Farming |
104.0/105.0 | Greenhouse & Nursery |
112.0/113.0 | Fruit Crop |
107.0 | Fumigation by Private Applicator |
109.0 | Chemigation |
111.0 | Aerial Application |
Applying pesticides in Indian country:
In addition to state certification and licensing, you need federal certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to apply restricted-use pesticides in Indian country. After receiving certification in a Wisconsin category, you must apply to the EPA for certification, which will be based on the Wisconsin category.
EPA information and application form for Indian country certification
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