Equipping Florida Pesticide Applicators for Success through Industry Partnership
Agronomy & Pest Management
Danielle Sprague Williams
Commercial Horticulture Agent
UF/IFAS Extension Gadsden County
Quincy
Abstract
Citrus Industry Magazine is a free trade publication that provides citrus growers with news, research updates, management strategies, and best practices. To add value to their readership, the magazine partnered with UF/IFAS to offer pesticide continuing education units (CEUs) through the publication of online educational articles. Florida pesticide applicators are required to obtain a combination of ‘Category’ (license-specific) and ‘CORE’ (general pesticide knowledge) CEUs to renew their pesticide applicator licenses. The CEU articles focus on general pesticide use and safety and serve as an opportunity for licensed pesticide applicators making restricted-use pesticide applications to earn up to four free CEU credits in the ‘CORE’ CEU category each year. This programming aims to save growers time and money by providing free self-paced CEUs to maintain their pesticide licenses. Annually, each Agent authors one peer-reviewed 2,000-word article containing a 20-question quiz. Licensed applicators read the article and complete the accompanying quiz on the Citrus Industry Magazine website, whereupon the answers are transmitted to the author for grading. If the applicator passes the quiz with a 70% score, the author uploads a Record of Attendance for Continuing Education Units form to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) database on the applicator’s behalf and emails them a copy for their records. Each year, four CEU articles are published and available online to applicators at no cost. From 2024 to present, licensed applicators have earned 434 CORE CEU credits valued at $10,850. This partnership between Citrus Industry Magazine and UF/IFAS Extension created an effective programming opportunity that continues to enable Florida pesticide applicators to conveniently maintain their licenses for renewal while enhancing pesticide safety education. While this platform was originally targeted toward citrus growers with restricted-use pesticide licenses, it has expanded to help all licensed pesticide applicators in Florida and can serve as a model for other states.
Authors: Danielle Williams, Matthew Smith, Mongi Zekri, Amir Rezazadeh
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Danielle Williams Commercial Horticulture Agent II, UF/IFAS Extension Gadsden County, Florida, 32351
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Matthew Smith Commercial Crops and Food Systems Agent II, UF/IFAS Extension Lake and Orange County, Florida, 32778
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Mongi Zekri Citrus Agent IV, UF/IFAS Extension Hendry County, Florida, 33935
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Amir Rezazadeh Fruit and Field Crops Agent II, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, Florida, 34945