New rules regarding pesticide applicator certification will be coming in to play in the future and the Kansas Department of Agriculture is providing the following update.

STATEMENT

The process is underway to make some changes to pesticide applicator certification requirements; those changes will eventually impact those applying for or renewing private or commercial applicator certifications. However, that process is not complete, and the new rules and regulations are still in development. When they are in place and will impact applicators, the Kansas Department of Agriculture will work with K-State and other state agricultural organizations to clearly share the information that applicators will need to know.

Until that time, any information that comes out regarding the changes is premature and may not be accurate. We know that some people are eager to get an early start on sharing details, but until the regulations have been approved those details could change, so information shared too early could actually be misinformation.

At this time, the only pending change to the process is that new applicants for a private applicator certification will have three ways to obtain initial certification. The first is to take an in-person training course (new), the second is to take an online training course (new), and the third will be a written examination (current). KDA is working with the K-State Pesticide Safety Program to develop and implement these new opportunities. We anticipate that this new training course will be available through the K-State Pesticide Safety Program later in 2025.

Until the new rules and regulations are in place, and/or the training opportunities are implemented, private applicators will need to follow the existing requirements for initial certification and certification renewals.

When will other requirements be implemented? That is unknown at this time; likely it will be sometime in 2025, but it depends on a number of factors. When there is a finalized plan, KDA will communicate that to applicators and stakeholders as quickly as possible.