As of July, farmers (or any others) who apply fumigants to stored grain in North Carolina need a new subcategory on their pesticide license. If you treat stored grain, the Structural Pest Control & Pesticides Division is offering specialized sessions across the state to assist those who need to obtain this new subcategory Z(CF) on their private license.
“If any farmers hold grain in bins over a period of time and treat them with fumigants, they need this subcategory,” said Travis Snodgrass who is the western district manager for the pesticides section of the division. “We went through a similar update to the requirements a few years ago for soil fumigation used primarily by tobacco, vegetable and strawberry growers. We did similar training and exam sessions throughout the state for the soil fumigators. Now we’re doing these special sessions as a service for anybody who needs the subcategory for stored grain fumigation.”
The sessions include a training and testing combination. They are only for people who already have a private pesticide license and need to add this subcategory to that existing license.
“So these sessions aren’t for people who need to get a new private pesticide license,” Snodgrass said. “It’s just to help people who are already licensed to apply pesticides – for example, to traditional row crops – but now they need this subcategory to fumigate in their grain bins.”
Additional information, including the remaining dates and locations of the sessions, can be found in the flyer at this link: https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/structural-pest-control-and-pesticides/pesticide/policy-memo/commodity-fumigation-0724-pdf/open
The flyer also includes a link to order a study manual from the N.C. State Pesticide Education Program.
If you don’t need the Z(CF) subcategory immediately, you can take the subcategory certification exam at any regularly scheduled pesticide exam (in person or online). For anyone who may use them in the future, these sessions may be especially helpful for you to go ahead and learn about the new requirements, take the test, and get the subcategory.