NPSEC News – January 23rd, 2019


 

NPSEC News – January 23rd, 2019

NEWS FROM NPSEC

NPSEC INCREASES DISCOUNT & REVENUE SHARING TO PSEPs FROM PRODUCT SALES

Based on the recommendation of the NPSEC Finance Committee, the NPSEC Board of Directors has approved increasing the discount from 5% to 10% for PERC and AFOP products, and the Rutgers Respirator Protection manual sold at the NPSEC Store, when ordered directly by PSEPs. In addition, the revenue share sent back to PSEPs as program gifts from the state sales of these products will also increase from 5% to 10%.

These increased benefits to PSEPs are effective as of January 1st 2019. Pesticide safety products are sold by NPSEC at www.npsecstore.com as part of NPSEC’s mission to serve and support extension pesticide safety education programs (PSEPs) in every state and US territory. For more information about the NPSEC Store and these benefits to PSEPs, or to receive additional discounts for bulk orders, contact Courtney Weatherbee at cweatherbee@npsec.us.

List of Acronyms:

AFOP – Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs

NPSEC – National Pesticide Safety Education Center

PERC – Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative

PSEP – Pesticide Safety Education Program

NPSEC FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS NOW AVAILABLE

If you have questions about NPSEC, we invite you to read our FAQs here. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Smith at tomsmith@npsec.us

NPSEC OFFERS ACCESS TO ADOBE STOCK IMAGES AND VIDEOS TO PSEPs

As NPSEC continues to serve and support PSEPs in every state and territory, we have listened to our PSEP coordinators needs for quality images and videos to include with their own courses, communications, and content. NPSEC invites PSEPs to utilize Adobe Stock (stock.adobe.com) to search for any images or videos needed for use within PSEP programs, and go to our Adobe Stock Request Form at npsec.us/stock to request the content. 

You will need to provide links to the images or videos you are requesting from Adobe Stock. Any questions? Please contact Aaron Weibe at aaronweibe@npsec.us

UPPER MIDWEST AGRICULTURAL SAFETY & HEALTH CENTER (UMASH) WEBINAR

UMASH is hosting a webinar on Friday, January 25th, 2019 titled You Can’t Pour from an Empty Cup – How Do You Fill It Up to Support Yourself and Others. The webinar will be from 1 PM – 2:30 PM EST.

In this session, Shauna Reitmeier and Brenda Mack will share how stress, when not addressed, can deplete farming and ranching women’s energy and their ability to effectively keep up with their responsibilities. Participants will learn ways to manage stress and come up with ways to prioritize to keep energy high and meet many demands. Learn more and register here.  

NPSEC SET TO LAUNCH NEW ‘OUR FOOD’ PODCAST

NPSEC will launch a weekly “Our Food” podcast on a channel hosted, managed and distributed by Cumulus Media NY. This Podcast Channel will be housed in Cumulus’ OG Podcast Network. The network currently distributes a variety of Podcast content but NPSEC’s would be the first in this content vertical. NPSEC would exclusively own the category. The current OG Podcast platform delivers well over 500,000 monthly downloads. ‘Our Food’ will be a broad and rather generic overview of the US. food system. This will attract a large audience and pollinator stewardship can be embedded frequently in these discussions. This broader concept would attract a large enough following to be effective and marketable to advertisers and sponsors.

REMINDER: NPSEC OFFERS PSEP-ONLY DISTRIBUTION LIST

A few weeks ago, NPSEC created a distribution list for PSEP Coordinators and their selected staff. To maintain the integrity of this PSEP-only distribution list, please contact Aaron Weibe at aaronweibe@npsec.us if you have any questions or would like to add any Extension Pesticide Safety Education staff to the list. 

NEWS RELEASES

Varroa Mite Research Points to Impact on Honeybee Health

Varroa mites may be mighty small – about the size of the head of a pin – but the parasites are a primary cause of colony collapse disorder, a large problem for honeybee populations worldwide. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences debunks the long-held belief that the mites feed on “bee blood” – AKA hemolymph. Read more here. 

Inversion & Drift Mitigation Workshop Presented by the Ohio State University Extension IPM Program

The workshop was held on Dec. 14, 2018, and focused on weather conditions that could signal an inversion and a demonstration of the tools and information available in FieldWatch, a communication tool for sensitive crop farmers and pesticide applicators. Recordings from the talks are available here.  

The workshop is divided into two recordings that feature:

Aaron Wilson, OSU Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, discussing weather conditions that could signal an inversion.

Jared Shaffer, Ohio Department of Agriculture, discusses the FieldWatch sensitive crop registry and includes a demonstration of signing up for the registry and identifying fields, crops, and beehives.

Please click here to access the workshop.

PERC & RUTGERS PRODUCTS ON THE NPSEC STORE!

The NPSEC Store is a good place to find EPA-approved materials with expanded 2015 WPS content. This is where you can order NPSEC, PERC, WPS, and state-specific products. For PERC products, PSEPs get a 5% discount if they purchase the products using the code we mailed you at checkout. We track all PERC sales by state and send 5% of all net sales in a particular state or territory back to the PSEP as a gift.

Additionally, the Rutgers E358 Respiratory Guides can also be found on the NPSEC Store.

Shop the NPSEC Store

RUTGERS E358 RESPIRATORY GUIDES

This document provides practical information for proper use of respirators by occupational users of pesticides. It also outlines regulatory requirements of EPA and OSHA that apply to commercial users and also agricultural operations that use pesticides. Its purpose is to describe types of respirators, their limitations, use, care, and maintenance.

Purchase Here.

PERC PRODUCTS

National Worker Protection Standard: A Manual for Trainers

Available in English and Spanish!

These EPA-approved manuals (English: EPA 730-B-16-001; Spanish: EPA 730-K-17-001)) begin with an introduction to pesticides and pesticide safety, including the federal pesticide regulations. They discusses each of the specific points that must be included in WPS training sessions and contains valuable information to help trainers prepare for and conduct pesticide safety training.

Purchase Here

How to Comply With the 2015 Revised Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides

This EPA-approved manual will help users of agricultural pesticides comply with the requirements of the 2015 revised federal Worker Protection Standard. You should read this manual if you employ agricultural  workers or handlers, are involved in the production of agricultural plants as an owner/manager of an agricultural establishment or a commercial (for-hire) pesticide handling establishment, or work as a crop advisor.

Purchase Here

WPS Respiratory Protection Guide: Requirements for Employers of Pesticide Handlers

Under the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) as revised in 2015, there are new requirements for pesticide handlers when pesticide labels require the use of a respirator. This 45-page guide includes step-by-step fit-testing procedures, respirator selection guidance, medical evaluation options, and some frequently asked questions. 

Purchase Here

WPS Posters

Updated WPS Poster(s) for “Central Posting” areas and certain decontamination sites
This poster(s) complies with the requirements in the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) for agricultural pesticides.

Posters come in Large (22×34.5in) and Small (11×17) with a English/Spanish front, and the option of English or Spanish back. All Posters have a gloss laminate finish for durability.

Purchase Here

WPS Training Videos

These WPS training videos for agricultural workers and pesticide handlers apply to many sectors because they include footage and examples from orchards, forestry, nurseries, greenhouses, vineyards, and row crops.

Available in English and Spanish!

Purchase Here

WPS Standard Handbook for Agricultural Employers

Can be purchased individually or in bundles of 2 and 10!

This handbook is formatted as a small booklet, half the size of a sheet of paper. We hope you’ll find it as useful as a handout when training and/or inspecting agricultural work under the WPS.

Purchase Here 

Web-Based Training for Trainers of Agricultural Workers and Pesticide Handlers

Online training course!

This web-based course is EPA-approved, including 12 self-paced learning modules. The course provides the required information for trainers who will perform annual training for agricultural workers and pesticide handlers under the U.S. EPA Worker Protection Standard (WPS). It will guide you through the necessary procedures to provide effective training about pesticide safety topics.

Purchase Here

 

Varroa mite research points to impact on honeybee health

Varroa mites may be mighty small – about the size of the head of a pin – but the parasites are a primary cause of colony collapse disorder, a large problem for honeybee populations worldwide. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences debunks the long-held belief that the mites feed on “bee blood” – AKA hemolymph.

North Carolina State University entomologist Allen Cohen, a co-author on the PNAS paper, wasn’t surprised by the study’s results. For years, he’s contended that the mites’ digestive system and the content of their excrement point to another, denser food source.

Samuel Ramsey and his University of Maryland colleagues found that Cohen was right. Conducting the research as part of his doctoral studies under Professor Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Ramsey determined that instead of drinking hemolymph, the mites consume the bees’ fat body, an organ that stores and uses nutrients as they are needed.

Read more at Vegetable Growers News here. 

Inversion & Drift Mitigation Workshop presented by the Ohio State University Extension IPM Program

Sponsored by Ohio State University Extension IPM program and the USDA NIFA Crop Protection and Pest Management Competitive Grants Program (Grant number 2017-70006-27174).

The workshop was held on Dec. 14, 2018, and focused on weather conditions that could signal an inversion and a demonstration of the tools and information available in FieldWatch, a communication tool for sensitive crop farmers and pesticide applicators. Recordings from the talks are available here.  

The workshop is divided into two recordings that feature:

Aaron Wilson, OSU Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, discussing weather conditions that could signal an inversion.

Jared Shaffer, Ohio Department of Agriculture, discusses the FieldWatch sensitive crop registry and includes a demonstration of signing up for the registry and identifying fields, crops, and beehives.

Please click here to access the workshop.