Will A New Year Mean New Challenges?

A Message from ATA Vice President Ben Anderson about a Proposed New Pesticide Permit Category

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone is making the best of their 2021 so far. The article on the next page is from Ron Wright CGCS, the Southeast field staff representative for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Many of you may not know Ron since he focuses on golf, but he also speaks on behalf of all turf industries, when he considers upcoming hurdles the industry will face. This letter is an important read, and I encourage everyone to take the time to carefully consider the information he is sharing. I shared my PowerPoint presentation with the ATA Board of Directors prior to the Green Industry stakeholders meeting with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries in order to obtain input from their wide turf backgrounds. My guess is, we will all be affected one way or another by this new regulation.

There is some good news! The State is allowing us to share our suggestions on this issue. Both Ron and I gathered information and put together PowerPoints to be able to make suggestions on how we think this new regulation should function. I shared mine with the rest of the ATA Board of Directors, that have all different turf backgrounds, to have all the input possible. Ron had the input of the Alabama Golf Course Superintendents Association Board of Directors after they reviewed his PowerPoint as well. I feel like both associations will do their best to speak for the industry and make these changes as easy as possible. We presented these PowerPoints on January 28th and have input on the structure of the new rules that Ron describes below.

Thanks,

Ben Anderson

ATA Vice President

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Will A New Year Mean New Challenges? The Search for Normalcy

By Ron Wright, CGCS – Southeast Field Staff Representative, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

2021 is finally here, perhaps the most anticipated change of the calendar in my lifetime. It seems everyone wants the world to become normal again. Chances are we will never be normal again. The world is a dynamic sphere, always changing, with surprises both good and bad around every corner. We have a new administration in DC and a very divided government and population. It appears the US population has become binary, you’re either on one side or the other with nothing in between. We have had 4 years of relaxed environmental regulations with the Trump administration and that will probably end abruptly with the Biden administration. In fact, our first new hurdle on the environmental regulation front is at our doorstep.

Back in 2017 the EPA proposed additional training for pesticide applicators. The rule was blocked by lawsuits and the Trump administration put the rule on hold. It has now been revived and will go into effect within the next year. The goal was to have everyone who applies plant protectant products under the supervision of a certified T&O holder to have testing and training and demonstrate a level of competency. This means that everyone who applies fertilizer to the lawns, sprays roundup with a pump-up sprayer in flower beds, or uses wetting agent tablets in a hose end applicator needs to have state regulated competence. This is actually a good idea if you look at the big picture of environmental stewardship, but it adds another layer of work and documentation to the process of operating in our industry. This proposal is being called the Non-Certified Applicator rule. I have a problem with that title.

What does this mean to those in the turfgrass industry? In most cases, it probably doesn’t change much in your operations. Simply stated, anyone who handles or applies any product on their clients’ property must be recognized by the state as being competent and trained to do so. There should already be a certified T&O license holder on the staff and at many companies there are several on the staff. If you only use the

staff that already has a license with the state to apply plant protectants, you really don’t have to change anything with your company. But if you have any staff that does not possess a state spray license, they will need to obtain the new license or stop applying the products and turn those duties over to a crewmember who does have a license. There is still much to be determined about this program as far as costs, testing, record keeping and training availability. Most states are trying to figure all those issues out right now. The EPA wants all 50 states to submit a plan to them by March 4, 2021. That is only weeks away. We will keep our members updated on the outcomes and what we need to do as an industry. So much for getting back to normal.

Be safe!