Four meetings for area producers who need to be certified or recertified to purchase restricted use pesticides will be conducted in Dawson County by the UNL Extension to satisfy Nebraska Department of Agriculture training requirements.

They are:

Wednesday, Feb. 9—Sumner, 1-4 p.m., Community Building

Thursday, Feb. 17—Lexington, 1-4 p.m., Dawson County Extension Office, 1002 Plum Creek Parkway

Wednesday, March 2—Cozad, 1-4 p.m., Cozad Elks Club, 810 J Street

Tuesday, March 8—Lexington, 1-4 p.m., Dawson County Extension Office, 1002 Plum Creek Parkway

Prompt arrival is requested at all meetings as regulations require that participants attend the entire session. Dawson County Extension educator Bruce Treffer says producers should check their pesticide applicator certificates. If it has already expired, if it expires in 2011, or if they have never had a card, they will want to attend a meeting.

Treffer said other private pesticide applicator training meetings are scheduled in surrounding counties for those unable to attend one of the above, or producers may check with the Extension Office for other options such as self-study manuals.

Those attending meetings should plan to bring a check to cover a $30 program fee and the bar-coded reminder letter received from the state, said Treffer. There is also a $25 license fee from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) that they will be billed for following the training. The $25 NDA fee is forwarded to the Natural Resource Districts (NRD) Water Quality Enhancement Fund.