Whats's Happening at the PIO
As a new year unfolds, we at the Pesticide Information Office endeavor to assist in the pest management operations of all of our stakeholders (that’s you!). Please visit the link with the newsletter survey so that we can better inform you in the future. We would also like to review how some of the information you provide to us is used in the grand scheme of things.
One of the PIO’s tasks is to track use and benefit data for pesticides or pesticide practices employed in the State of Florida. As you can imagine, that is quite a few products, with over 6,000 registered in the state as of 2006. Sometimes these data are available through federal sources, like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). When it is not available, we seek out growers and extension agents, as well as professionals, that are familiar with the crop in question. Current and historic pest control practices in Florida are documented in the PIO’s crop/pest management profile series, which is contained in EDIS (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/index.html). This information is also housed in the USDA’s database, where it is accessed by EPA personnel during regulatory decision making processes.
The utility of these profiles was confirmed during 2006. Regulatory decisions for copper compounds, malathion, and multiple other active ingredients were largely based on the crop profiles. By documenting what Florida stakeholders need in terms of pest management, the EPA did not erroneously make assumptions that would have left Florida growers unprotected. If you have any questions about pesticides that are essential to your operation, please contact the PIO.
With regard to CEUs, over the past few months we have added several new CEU modules to the site, bringing our total to 21. These modules credit a wide variety of categories, and are now organized as such on our site. Our goal is to give pesticide handlers and applicators an alternative, and hopefully more convenient option for receiving CEU credits. With cooperation from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, these modules are now available for purchase through the IFAS Bookstore. Each presentation should take around fifty minutes to complete, and each cost $20.00. Please feel free to contact the Pesticide Information Office at (352) 392-4721, or if you experience any technical issues with the modules, you can contact Nathan Whidden at nwhidden@ufl.edu. Please follow the purchasing directions on the IFAS Bookstore’s website. To access these modules, and to receive further information, please visit our website: http://pested.ifas.ufl.edu/
Additionally, the PIO now has quick access to translation skills for written requests on technical pest management questions. Please direct non-English inquiries (Spanish, Portuguese, or German) to the PIO via email or written letter.
