SD Pesticide Applicator cheat sheet

FIFRA (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act) is the federal law governing pesticide registration, labeling, distribution, sale, and use; EPA registers products and approves labels.

A restricted-use pesticide (RUP) may be bought and applied only by, or under the direct supervision of, a certified applicator.

Private applicator: certified person who applies RUPs to land they own or rent, or that their employer owns or rents, to produce an agricultural commodity.

Commercial (nonprivate) applicator: certified person who applies pesticides for hire, or on property not owned or rented by themselves or their employer.

FIFRA Section 24(c) permits a state to register an additional use for a federally registered product to meet a special local need; Section 18 permits emergency exemptions for unregistered uses.

Using a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling is a violation of federal law and can bring civil penalties, stop-sale orders, or criminal prosecution.

Federal rule: certified applicators must keep records of restricted-use pesticide applications for at least 2 years; state rules may add requirements.

South Dakota's pesticide program is administered by the state lead agency (South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources), which enforces FIFRA and issues applicator certifications.

Certification is maintained by passing the required exam or by earning approved continuing-education (recertification) credits before the credential expires.

Signal words by acute toxicity category: Category I = DANGER (plus skull and crossbones when highly toxic by any route); II = WARNING; III and IV = CAUTION.

Acute oral LD50 cutoffs (rat, mg/kg): I ≤50; II >50–500; III >500–5000; IV >5000.

Acute dermal LD50 cutoffs (rabbit, mg/kg): I ≤200; II >200–2000; III >2000–5000; IV >5000.

Inhalation LC50 cutoffs (mg/L): I ≤0.05; II >0.05–0.5; III >0.5–2.0; IV >2.0.

Every pesticide label must carry the statement "Keep out of reach of children."

The Directions for Use is the enforceable part of the label; SDS and supplemental literature do not override or expand labeled uses.

Preharvest interval (PHI) = minimum days between last application and harvest; restricted-entry interval (REI) = minimum time workers may not enter without required PPE.

FIFRA Section 2(ee) allows use against a pest not listed on the label only if the site, rate, and method are labeled and the use does not conflict with the label.

The EPA registration number identifies the product; the EPA establishment number identifies the facility that produced it; net contents and ingredient statement are also required.

Toxicity is the inherent capacity of a substance to cause harm; hazard is toxicity combined with the likelihood and amount of exposure.

LD50 is the single dose that kills 50% of test animals (lower = more toxic); LC50 is the concentration in air or water lethal to 50%.

Dermal exposure is the most common poisoning route for applicators; inhalation risk rises with fumigants, fine mists, and confined spaces.

Organophosphates and carbamates inhibit cholinesterase; signs include SLUDGE (salivation, lacrimation, urination, diarrhea, GI upset, emesis), pinpoint pupils, and muscle twitching.

Chemical-resistant PPE is chosen by the product's resistance category (letters A–H in the EPA table), not by generic terms such as "rubber gloves."

Respirators must be NIOSH-approved and used with a medical evaluation and fit test; change cartridges at label intervals or at first breakthrough or odor.

Remove PPE before eating, drinking, smoking, or using the restroom; wash hands and face before breaks and shower at the end of the workday.

Heat stress risk rises with PPE use; warning signs include dizziness, confusion, headache, and heavy sweating - cool the person and get medical help.

Launder contaminated work clothing separately from family laundry; discard leather or porous items that have absorbed pesticide.

IPM components: prevention, monitoring and identification, action thresholds, control (biological, cultural, mechanical, chemical), and evaluation.

Economic threshold = pest density at which control cost equals the value of crop loss prevented; action thresholds may be set lower to trigger treatment earlier.

Complete metamorphosis: egg → larva → pupa → adult (beetles, moths, flies). Incomplete: egg → nymph → adult (aphids, grasshoppers, true bugs).

Grass, sedge, rush ID: grasses have hollow round stems, sedges have triangular solid stems ("sedges have edges"), rushes have round solid stems.

Monocots such as grasses have parallel leaf veins and one cotyledon; dicots (broadleaves) have netted veins and two cotyledons.

Resistance management: rotate among different mode-of-action groups (IRAC for insecticides, HRAC/WSSA for herbicides) and avoid repeated use within a pest generation.

Degree-day models predict insect and weed development by accumulating heat above a species-specific base temperature.

Biological control uses predators, parasitoids, and pathogens; conserve them by avoiding broad-spectrum sprays during peak natural-enemy activity.

Leaching risk is highest with high water solubility, low soil adsorption, long persistence, sandy low-organic-matter soils, and shallow water tables.

Adsorption is described by Koc (organic carbon partition coefficient): high Koc means strong binding to soil organic matter and low leaching potential.

Runoff risk is greatest on sloping, compacted, or saturated ground; maintain vegetated buffer strips between treated areas and surface water.

Volatilization and spray drift move pesticides through air; apply when wind is roughly 2–10 mph and avoid applications during a temperature inversion.

Main degradation pathways are photodegradation, hydrolysis (strongly pH-dependent), and microbial breakdown; soil half-life summarizes persistence.

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification occur with persistent, fat-soluble compounds that concentrate in tissues and increase up the food chain.

Pollinator protection: apply before bloom or after petal fall when possible, control drift, and follow label bee warnings and any stated application timing.

Endangered species: check label restrictions and county-specific bulletins or maps; buffers and timing limits apply in listed species habitat.

Broadcast boom formula: GPA = (GPM × 5940) ÷ (MPH × nozzle spacing in inches).

Conversions: 1 acre = 43,560 sq ft; 1 gallon = 128 fl oz; 1 mile = 5,280 ft.

Ground speed: MPH = (distance in feet × 60) ÷ (seconds × 88).

Nozzle flow changes with the square root of pressure: doubling flow requires four times the pressure.

Replace nozzles when output differs more than 10% from a new nozzle of the same type; check uniformity across the whole boom.

Higher pressure and smaller orifices create finer droplets and more drift; low-drift nozzles and lower pressure reduce off-target movement.

1/128-acre method: spray a measured 18.5 ft × 18.5 ft area, collect output; ounces collected ≈ gallons per acre.

Calibrate at the actual field pressure and ground speed, and recalibrate after any nozzle, speed, or product change.

Jar test: combine proportional amounts of products in water in a clear jar to check tank-mix compatibility before mixing a full load.

Store pesticides in a locked, dry, ventilated area away from food, feed, seed, and animals, with warning signs posted and SDSs on file.

Keep products in their original labeled containers, use secondary containment for liquids, and never store containers above eye level.

Transport pesticides secured in a ventilated cargo area, never in the passenger compartment; carry a spill kit and the label/SDS information.

Triple rinse: fill the empty container about 1/4 full, agitate, drain rinse water into the spray tank, and repeat three times; then puncture or recycle per label.

Backflow prevention: keep an air gap between the fill hose and the tank; never submerge the hose in the spray mixture.

Mix and load on a pad or in a contained area away from wells, streams, and drains, and mix only the amount needed for that day's work.

Dispose of empty containers and excess pesticide according to label directions and state or local rules; never burn, bury, or dump pesticides.

Protect liquid products from freezing, keep an inventory, and use oldest stock first to avoid degraded or outdated product.

Spill sequence: protect people, stop the source, contain the spill, absorb or clean up, decontaminate the area, then notify and restock the spill kit.

For human exposure call 911 and the Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222); have the product label and SDS ready for medical staff.

Report releases to the state lead agency and, when a reportable quantity is exceeded under CERCLA, to the National Response Center (1-800-424-8802).

First aid follows the label: flush eyes or skin with water for at least 15 minutes, move to fresh air, and do not induce vomiting unless instructed.

RUP application records must be retained 2 years and include product name, EPA registration number, amount, date, location, and applicator name/certification number.

Worker Protection Standard requires records of worker and handler training, pesticide applications, and REIs, generally kept 2 years.

Keep calibration, tank-mix, and weather records to support liability defense and troubleshoot performance problems.

A spill kit should contain absorbent material, PPE, a shovel, recovery containers, and detergent or water for decontamination.