January 2014 Exam Review Scheduled

Need CEUs for your FDACS Pesticide License? On January 30, 2014, the Multi-county commercial horticulture extension program for Sumter & Pasco counties will be hosting an Exam Review for Private Applicator and CORE Standards.

Registrants may attending classes for exam preparation or to gain CEUs if he/she already has a license. Exams will be administered at the conclusion of material review for those interested. Calculators, scratch paper, and pencils will be provided for exams. 

Pasco County Extension Office

36702 State Road 52

Dade City, FL 33525

January 30, 2014

8:30am to 5:00pm

Instructors: 

Mary Beth Henry - Small Farms Extension Agent, Polk County

Cami Esmel McAvoy - Multi-county Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent, Sumter & Pasco Counties

Reviews

CORE - 8:30am to 10:30pm

Topics to be Covered:  Pesticide Law, Principles of Pest Control, Pesticide Labels, Environmental Hazards, Harmful Effects and Personal Proteciton Equipment; Mixing, Loading, and Application, Transportation, Disposal, and Spill Cleanup; and Pesticide Application Procedures.

Break 10:30am to 11:30am - Lunch on Your Own

Private Applicator - 11:45am to 1:45pm

Topics to be Covered: Licensing Private Applicators, Pests & Pest Control, Fumigants, The Worker Protection Standard, Application Equipment & Calibration, Dilution & Site Sizes, Pesticide Labels, and Calibration & Dilution Mathematics.

Exams administered from 2pm to 5pm

To Register for this class please use the following Eventbrite link: Pesticide Exam Review RSVP

The cost of this class is $30 for both sessions or $15 for one.

CEUs submitted. Check back for update on category and quantity.

Need more information? Contact Cami Esmel McAvoy at 352-793-2728 x 234

2014 Citrus Pest Management Guides Available

The 2014 Citrus Pest Management Guides provided by Dr. Michael Rogers of UF-IFAS CREC for citrus extension are now available. If you are a commercial citrus producer in the FL Nature Coast area, please contact me at the Sumter County Extension office (352-793-2728 x 234) to obtain your copy of this essential pest management guide.
-CEM

Frost Advisory Issued

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a frost advisory for the northern portion of the FL Nature Coast. This includes the following counties: Levy, Citrus, Hernando, and Sumter. The NWS forecast has been added below for your convenience. 

You can monitor real time weather using the Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN)at http://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/. FAWN has a Cold Protection Toolkit with the minimum overnight temperature calculated using the Brunt Equation, Wet Bulb based irrigation cut off, and determining the critical temperature for different crops. 

If you are in the affected area, please take appropriate actions to protect animals, plant material and crops. 

Frost Advisory

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
410 PM EST MON DEC 16 2013

...FROST ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE NATURE COAST LATE
TONIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING...

.COOL DRY AIR HAS OVERSPREAD THE AREA AND WITH CLEAR SKIES AND
WINDS BECOMING LIGHT TONIGHT FROST IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP.

FLZ043-139-142-148-239-242-248-171300-
/O.NEW.KTBW.FR.Y.0007.131217T0800Z-131217T1300Z/
SUMTER-COASTAL LEVY-COASTAL CITRUS-COASTAL HERNANDO-INLAND LEVY-
INLAND CITRUS-INLAND HERNANDO-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BUSHNELL...THE VILLAGES...CEDAR KEY...
YANKEETOWN...CRYSTAL RIVER...HOMOSASSA...HERNANDO BEACH...
BAYPORT...CHIEFLAND...BRONSON...WILLISTON...INVERNESS...
BROOKSVILLE...SPRING HILL
410 PM EST MON DEC 16 2013

...FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 8 AM EST TUESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL HAS
ISSUED A FROST ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM TO 8 AM
EST TUESDAY.

* TEMPERATURE...32 TO 36 DEGREES

* IMPACTS...AREAS OF FROST ARE EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY
  TUESDAY MORNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FROST ADVISORY MEANS THAT FROST IS POSSIBLE. SENSITIVE OUTDOOR
PLANTS MAY BE KILLED IF LEFT UNCOVERED.

Florida Blueberry Growers Association meeting

The next FL Blueberry Growers Association meeting is February 20, 2014 in Plant City, FL at the Trinkle Center (HCC) (Map) . If you are a commercial producer of blueberries, this is an opportunity to see the latest information and research on blueberry production. You can register at February 20th meeting's Eventbrite page. Topics on the agenda are the following: bird control, Botrytis: a new disease for FL blueberry farmers, Chili Thrips, Water Use Research Results, Pruning Trial Results, and annual business meeting.