MOSES LAKE — A driver’s license has to be updated every so often to make sure the driver isn’t a danger to themselves or others. So, it’s not surprising that a license to handle deadly chemicals would need renewing too. 

“This requirement has been in place for quite some time, probably 20 or more years,” said Washington State Department of Agriculture Licensing and Recertification Program Manager Christina Zimmerman,  “There could be changes in pesticide application techniques and technology – it’s just changing so quickly right now – but it’s more making sure that licensees, pesticide applicators or consultants or even pesticide distributors stay abreast of any new requirements or restrictions.” 

Pesticide licensing isn’t a simple matter. The WSDA administers 27 different tests for individuals seeking their pesticide applicator license, Zimmerman said, and which ones and how many an applicant takes depend on the kind of work they’ll be doing.  

“Once they get their license, we issue them what’s called a recertification cycle (for) a maximum of five years,” Zimmerman said. During that cycle they can earn continuing education credits to show that they’re remaining competent to apply pesticides, or at the end of that cycle they can choose to take the exams again.” 

Most applicators don’t want to sit for the exams every five years, Zimmerman said, although there are some who do in order to get it out of the way or to save money on continuing education. The other, more popular, way to maintain pesticide applicator’s license is to attend seminars that touch on pesticide application at agricultural trade shows and conventions. The hosting agency, called a course sponsor, submits an application to the WSDA requesting that the things a licensed applicator learns there be counted toward their recertification when the time comes to renew their license. 

“They have to submit an application to us at least 30 days in advance of that event and give us their agenda for every single speaker or presentation,” Zimmerman said. “They have to give a description of what (the seminar) is, how long it is, (verify) that it’s an acceptable topic, and then assign it to that course.” 

The topic does have to have a bearing on pesticide application safety or regulations, Zimmerman said.  

“We have a guidance document on our website available to course sponsors that outlines all the topics that are acceptable,” she said. “We (also) give them examples of topics that aren’t acceptable. Sometimes in those conferences they do (seminars on) customer relations or business practices or things like that. Those don’t qualify for credit.” 

The course sponsor takes attendance for the seminar and submits to the WSFA who was there and for how long. The WSFDA assigns one credit for every 50 minutes of instruction, Zimmerman said. 

It’s up to the host of the expo or trade show what kind of seminars they apply for credit for, said Sheri Nolan, account manager for Ag Association Management. Nolan coordinates, among others, the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association conference in November and the Northwest Hay Expo in January, both of which offer pesticide recertification credits. The boards of directors of those organizations plan out the seminars for each conference, Nolan said, partly with an eye toward which ones they can count for pesticide credits. 

“The board usually when they put the program together, know that (a given seminar) is going to qualify,” Nolan said. “I get a summary from the speakers, and I put that in the information that goes to the state, and then the state will determine whether or not that particular topic qualifies for that credit.” 

In order to receive credit, the attendee has to sign in at the seminar, said Diahne Gill, who manages the Spokane Ag Show, one of the largest trade expos in the Northwest. 

“Usually we offer nine or 10 credits per show, and an attendee can attend as many sessions as they’re able to,” Gill said. “We have hosts in the room who keep track of the paperwork and make sure that people don’t leave halfway through and want their credits. We don’t hand the paperwork out until the end of the session, because it is required that they attend the entire session.” 

“We usually do it by half-day,” Nolan said. “An attendee comes in and they have to spend that half-day, and at the end of that half-day, we put out the sign up sheets and everybody signs up for their credits. And then I take all the information back to the office and retype in all of the attendee information into the state’s forms to submit them.” 

Both Gill and Nolan manage shows that bring attendees from Oregon and Idaho as well, and they have a separate set of rules – and of paperwork – for recertification credit. Navigating those waters isn’t always easy, Nolan said. 

“Each state requires something a little different,” Nolan said. “It’s not something where I can apply it in one state and (apply it the same way) to the other two states. Would it be wonderful if I could? Absolutely. I’m taking all of this information I gather and applying it to each state individually in whatever format and information they’re requesting. Oregon requires a specific form and an online system. Washington, I …  have to go through their whole online (system) and retype in or recopy all of the data into their form. And the same with Idaho. It’s a definite process.” 

A private applicator, one who owns or works for a farm, needs 20 credits over the course of five years, Zimmerman said. In theory, that could be knocked out in one season’s worth of conventions, kind of like pulling an all-night study session the night before a test. In practice, Zimmerman said, that loophole is closed by state law. 

“They can get a maximum of 10 credits per calendar year,” she said. “The reason we do that is we don’t want someone to just do everything at once. We want it to be at least a little spread out so they’re getting education in more than just a month of their time.” 

The pesticide licensing maze is a complex one, but Zimmerman said the WSFA has an entire staff of people who will help an applicant through it. 

“We want people to know they can always …  reach out to us,” she said.  “We have multiple people available to respond and explain what they need to do. It’s much simpler than they might think it is or just by looking at the website … There’s just so much information (and) we know it’s overwhelming; we want to make sure people know ithat we’re available to help them through it. That’s what we’re here for.”