County Agent Update

For farmers and ranchers in the state of North Dakota, there are some important deadlines coming up at the end of December. The first deadline is on December 23, this is for all pesticide users in the United States, whether private or commercial. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed regulations on Pesticide certification and training, which could change the way that North Dakota registers and administers the exams. Andrew Thostenson, NDSU Pesticide Program Specialist, created a narrated PowerPoint explaining some of the changes that could happen. Some of the main points he addresses are: Doubling the training hours, therefore private applicators would now need 7 hours of training every three years. Secondly the timing of the training, the proposed changes would require half of the training to be done in the first 18 months and half of the training done in the second 18 months, that rule would apply to commercial applicators as well. The narrated PowerPoint that I mentioned is available for viewing at http://www.screencast.com/t/k5cDP2O6JFGm. If you have any questions or problems viewing this video, please give myself a call at 701-577-4595. Comments about this possible change, whether for or against, are due at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 23.

The second deadline for North Dakota ranchers is Dec. 31. North Dakota Stockmen’s Association needs a renewal of all livestock brands by Dec. 31. These brands are important for the registration and record of all livestock, the cost to renew is $25 per species. When you renew your brand, it will be effective starting Jan. 1, 2016 and will expire Jan. 1, 2021. When adding or removing a name, the Brand Bill of Sale needs to be filled out and all current owners need to sign it and a witness needs to sign for each owner signature. More information is located on the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Website, http://www.ndstockmen.org.