For immediate release:
~2018 National Wheat Yield Contest Launches to Showcase Greater Grain By: National Wheat Foundation
~Do you need to be certified or recertified as a Private Pesticide Applicator? If you plan to apply any pesticides to an agriculture commodity worth $1,000 or more, you need to be certified. It does not matter what pesticide you apply (herbicide, insecticide, or fungicide, etc.) you need to be certified as a Private Applicator.2018 Private Applicator Certification
~The South Dakota 2018 Pest Management Guides are now available for free. The guides offer recommendations for controlling weeds, insects, and diseases in a variety of South Dakota crops.2018 South Dakota Pest Management Guides
A special news release for South Dakota media outlets. Please contact Reid Christopherson at info@dwheat.org to set up interviews, gather additional quotes and graphics, or pitch a story.
2018 National Wheat Yield Contest Launches to Showcase Greater Grain By: National Wheat Foundation
The National Wheat Foundation is proud to once again host the National Wheat Yield Contest. In its third year, the contest continues to drive innovation in the industry by spotlighting the best practices among American wheat growers.
This year, the contest is adding a quality requirement, raising the bar for what constitutes the greater grain among U.S. wheat growers.
Foundation Board President Phil McLain believes adding a quality component to the contest will encourage growers to share approaches and techniques that help improve quality and maintain yields.
“The wheat yield contest helps improve the overall quality and marketability of U.S. wheat by creating a reason for growers to share successes and learn from one another,” McLain said.
This new quality requirement addresses the market opportunities and needs that will help U.S. wheat growers to maximize profitability as they grow the greater grain and allow the industry to compete with wheat growers around the world.
Philip Gross, the 2017 High Yield Winner, is proof the contest offers motivation to share best practices and try new approaches.
“The National Wheat Yield Contest encouraged us to take a new approach to our wheat acreage. Quality is so important to our supply chain and trade opportunities, and adding it to the contest will help reinforce that you don’t have to sacrifice yield to obtain high quality,” said Gross.
The 2017 contest had a record-breaking 287 entries from 27 states, and this year’s contest is expected to continue growing the momentum of sharing best practices and techniques throughout the industry.
Click here for more information on contest guidelines, deadlines and prizes.
Do you need to be certified or recertified as a Private Pesticide Applicator? If you plan to apply any pesticides to an agriculture commodity worth $1,000 or more, you need to be certified. It does not matter what pesticide you apply (herbicide, insecticide, or fungicide, etc.) you need to be certified as a Private Applicator.2018 Private Applicator Certification
Individuals have two options to get certified:
- Attend a recertification class at any certification site.
- Take the Private Applicator exam online at the Department of Agriculture’s website.
SDSU Extension hosted several training sessions across South Dakota in January and February. There are only a few more classes being held this winter. Click the link below to view the complete list of training dates and location.
Certification is required by lay, but certification also gives you the tools to apply pesticides more properly, safely, and profitably. The certification is good for five years and allows applicators to buy and apply general and restricted use pesticides.
The South Dakota 2018 Pest Management Guides are now available for free. The guides offer recommendations for controlling weeds, insects, and diseases in a variety of South Dakota crops.2018 South Dakota Pest Management Guides
The updated guides include several new products that have new names and corresponding changes made to the labels, such as: rates for the chemicals, rotation restrictions, additive rates and products. The prices for the products, however, are similar to last year.
Click here to download the 2018 South Dakota Wheat Pest Management Guide