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The Division of Agricultural Resources works to promote, direct, and ensure safe agricultural and environmental practices. The division registers pesticides, and trains and licenses pesticide applicator(s) and chemigator(s). Coordination with agriculture professionals, agencies, and the public has improved the processes in protecting human health, the environment, and fish and wildlife species of the state from potential adverse effects of pesticides. Major functions are described below. The Enforcement Program investigates complaints of pesticide misuse, and monitors pesticide use throughout Idaho. ISDA works through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure compliance with federal and state pesticide laws and rules. Compliance is achieved through educational seminars and audits, compliance assistance and regulatory activities. In FY2006 the division conducted 177 investigations, inspections, and compliance audits. Forty allegations of pesticide misuse were filed with ISDA, which is the lowest number of complaints received for a fiscal year. Two hundred fifteen enforcement actions were taken consisting of 27 hearings and 36 civil complaints against applicators and/or dealers resulting in 30 civil penalties and 13 license suspensions. Other enforcement actions consist of 32 warning letters, 55 regulatory letters, and 9 stop sale, use, or removal orders. Nine cases were forwarded to EPA for review and potential enforcement action. ISDA investigated a significant exposure case in Canyon County resulting in 29 farm workers being exposed to pesticides. ISDA took enforcement action against the professional applicator, applicator company, labor contractor and grower for violations of the Worker Protection Standard (WPS). Monies collected from civil penalties assessed are being utilized for education of growers, workers, applicators and labor contractors, purchasing training materials, radio announcements and advertisements to create better awareness for compliance with the WPS and protection of workers from pesticide exposure. The Pesticide Licensing and Certification/Pesticide Applicator Training Program verified recertification credits for 933 seminars throughout Idaho in FY2006, with ISDA actively conducting training in more than 100 of them. Four major applicator training events occurred during FY2006: Environmental Care Association Conference, Idaho Potato School, and two regional events. ISDA continues to update the applicator testing materials to meet the demands of industry and the public. Three categories were revised/upgraded in FY2006. Over 8,000 pesticide applicators and dealers are licensed and supported.
The Private Applicator Recordkeeping Program continues to work with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service that requires certified private applicators to maintain Restricted Use Pesticide application records for two years. These records are inspected by ISDA personnel and can be made available to emergency medical personnel in cases of suspected human exposure to pesticides. In FY2006, ISDA conducted 150 initial recordkeeping inspections, issued 10 warning letters for record violations and conducted three follow-up inspections from a warning letter issued in FY2005. Since entering into the cooperative agreement with USDA, ISDA has published a recordkeeping handbook in English and Spanish for private applicators in Idaho; worked with the Idaho Food Producers to incorporate a recordkeeping booth in the Agricultural Pavilion at the Western Idaho State Fair and Eastern Idaho State Fair; published a brochure that outlines recordkeeping requirements for private applicators, professional applicators and dealers; made over 5,000 personal contacts concerning the program; and conducted over 1,000 inspections in Idaho. In addition, ISDA is developing a downloadable private applicator recordkeeping program through the Idaho OnePlan. The Container Recycling Project (CROP) is a free program to users that is a cooperative venture with private industry to recycle empty pesticide containers that have been properly rinsed. Over 116,000 containers were processed in calendar year 2005. Over 718,000 containers have been recycled since the program started in 1994. The chipped plastic may be recycled into drain field pipe, truck beds, pallets, fence posts, speed bumps, and parking lot stops. The Pesticide Disposal Program (PDP) is another free program for pesticide users to dispose of unusable pesticides in an environmentally conscientious manner. The program conducts two major collections each year - one in the spring, which serves southwest and northern Idaho, and one in the fall that serves eastern and central Idaho. The PDP will also hold a collection in the fall of 2006 in Canyon County. Since the start of the program in 1993, almost three-quarters of a million pounds of unusable pesticides have been safely and properly disposed. The Water Quality Program implements agricultural monitoring and protection programs with public and private partners to protect ground and surface water quality. ISDA leads the implementation of the Agricultural Ground Water Quality Protection Program for Idaho (1996) through the Agricultural Ground Water Coordination Committee. ISDA implements ground water monitoring and protection projects related to pesticides, nutrients, and animal waste impacts. ISDA also works with the Idaho Soil Conservation Commission (ISCC) to implement an Agricultural Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Monitoring Program related to the Clean Water Act. ISDA works with Soil Conservation Districts to evaluate sources of agricultural contaminants and Best Management Practices (BMPs). Information dissemination and local coordination with the agriculture community and the general public are key to the success of the water quality programs. The Idaho Pesticide and Chemigation law requires that a minimum of 250 chemigation inspections be conducted each year—251 were conducted in FY2006. Also, as part of the EPA Cooperative Agreement, ISDA conducts a minimum of five chemigation use inspections each year. Seven were completed in FY2006. ISDA has added many chemigation devices to its list of approved equipment and has developed application forms for equipment approval and independent laboratory testing. Updated lists of approved chemigation equipment and the equipment approval and testing forms can now be found on ISDA’s chemigation webpage. The Urban Pesticide Program works with non-agriculture pesticide users to promote the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control pests in urban situations. During FY2006, the IPM-specific training was largely dedicated to mosquito control techniques with approximately 800 individuals attending mosquito control presentations. ISDA collaborated with the newly formed Idaho Mosquito and Vector Control Association to host a mosquito control technician training during April in Jerome, Idaho. Forty individuals participated in this specialized training. The emphasis on mosquito control is in response to the emerging and increasing West Nile Virus cases within Idaho over the last two years. Additionally, an IPM Workshop was held in Coeur d’Alene during the spring of 2006.The workshop addressed several of the pest species issues that school and public facility personnel face every year. The Engineering Section provides professional engineering services and consultation to the agricultural communities of Idaho. These services include planning, design, construction inspection, and approval of livestock waste facilities and land treatment systems; providing technical information regarding environmental issues; chemigation training and inspections; on-farm implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs); and management of the Nutrient Management Program. The Crop Residue Disposal (CRD) Program manages the practice of burning crop residue to control disease, weeds, and pests, while maintaining federal and state mandated air quality standards. Approximately 137,493 acres of cropland were registered in this program for FY2004. The program has effectively demonstrated that agricultural burning practices can be managed to reduce the impact of smoke on Idaho’s population while maintaining the tool of field burning for growers. Recent Achievements
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The Idaho WPS/Farm Worker Safety Program has been recognized as a national leader for its accomplishments. Since implementation of the program, WPS staff has logged over 61,000 contacts with the agriculture community including training 706 certified trainers, 9,146 handlers and 15,087 workers in safe pesticide use. The Worker Protection Program has increased pesticide awareness, promoted proper pesticide use, and encouraged the proper use of personal protective equipment. In FY2006, the field operations staff conducted 45 Tier I inspections, 10 Tier II inspections, and 33 WPS pesticide label inspections. Also during this year, 4 stop sale, use, or removal orders were issued on products that were not in compliance with the WPS labeling requirements.