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Fertilizer Applicator Certification Training

A three-hour fertilizer certification program will be held in Richwood for any private or commercial applicator who needs to obtain fertilizer certification for the first time.  This training will be held at Richwood Marketing, 15 E. Ottawa Street, Richwood, Ohio on Wednesday, February 12.  The class will begin at 1:00 and end at 4:00 pm.  There is a $30 class fee payable to OSU Extension for this training.

Please arrive early so that materials can be distributed and the program can start on time.  This training will meet the fertilizer certification requirements for those with and without a pesticide license.  Pre-registration is suggested by calling the Hardin County OSU Extension office at 419-674-2297 or the Union County Extension office at 937-644-8117.  Online registration is available at https://nutrienteducation.osu.edu/NutedWC.

Agricultural fertilizer applicator certification is required in Ohio for farmers who apply fertilizer to more than 50 acres of agricultural production grown primarily for sale. This requirement was signed into law in June 2014, and also requires certification for commercial agricultural fertilizer applicators.  Farmers who have their fertilizer applied by co-ops or custom applicators are not required to be certified.

Applicators who are a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) or Certified Livestock Manager (CLM) are not required to attend the training.  Fertilizer is defined for the regulation as any substance containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, or other plant nutrient in a dry or liquid formulation.  All application types such as broadcast, side dress, sub-surface, knifing and other are included in the certification requirement.  Lime and limestone are not included as fertilizer for the certification and farmers who only use starter fertilizer in their planter boxes are exempted.

The agriculture fertilizer certification is not required for manure applications, unless farmers are applying livestock or poultry manure from a Concentrated Animal Feeding Facility (CAFF).  In this case, they would need to have either the CLM or Ohio Fertilizer Certification.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is the agency issuing the certification for agriculture fertilizer applications.  Once an applicator completes the fertilizer training, the ODA will bill them $30 for their fertilizer certificate unless the applicator currently holds a pesticide applicator license.

The ODA website has information regarding the regulation at agri.ohio.gov.  For more information about other training sessions or general materials for the agriculture fertilizer certification, visit nutrienteducation.osu.edu or contact Mark Badertscher, Hardin County OSU Extension at badertscher.4@osu.edu or Wayne Dellinger, Union County OSU Extension at dellinger.6@osu.edu.

 

Crop Observation and Recommendation Network

C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.