STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Dicamba Applicator Training required for individuals who plan to apply dicamba herbicide products in Xtend cropping systems has been opened online and scheduled at several sites in the Delta and north Mississippi.

Agricultural professionals are invited to attend the 2019 General Pest Management Workshop Jan. 24 at the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Raymond.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Officials with the Mississippi State University Extension Service broke ground on a termite application training facility alongside pest control industry sponsors during a ceremony April 6.

The Termite Technician Training Facility, or T3F, will be located near the Mississippi Horse Park in Starkville and is scheduled to be completed in early 2019.

YAZOO CITY, Miss. -- Mississippi farmers can safely remove leftover pesticides from their property during a free disposal event on Dec. 16 in Yazoo City.

Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other pesticide products can be dropped off at the former Tal Port building located at 2003 Gordon Avenue between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

No household waste, tires, rinsates, empty containers or products in bulk containers will be accepted.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- How to feed the world’s growing population is a continuing challenge for agricultural researchers and producers, and one expert who spoke Thursday at Mississippi State University said pesticides are essential for meeting that challenge.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Producers accumulate a variety of unused materials on the farm over time, and some of them require special handling for disposal.

A pesticide disposal program has been making clean-up on the farm easier since 1994 by providing a way to get rid of waste pesticides and potentially hazardous materials.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will hold a waste pesticide collection day July 31 in Tunica County for farmers and pesticide applicators in northwest Mississippi.

The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tunica Gin on Highway 61, one mile south of Tunica. There is no fee to participate.

Waste pesticides are leftover, cancelled, suspended or unusable products. Examples include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and plant growth regulators. Empty pesticide containers will not be accepted.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Environmentally conscious producers in Panola County got more than 13 tons of waste pesticide off their farms during a one-day collection in March.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service partnered with the state Department of Agriculture and Commerce to offer the Agricultural Pesticide Disposal Program to area producers March 22 in Batesville. A grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality covered the cost of disposal.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Mississippi State University researchers are seeking a balance between health concerns and effective pesticide use in a state where many residents depend on agriculture and often co-exist in areas where chemical use is common.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Spraying chemicals is a significant part of the cost and control of modern farming, and calibrating the implements can make a difference in efficiency.

Herb Willcutt, agricultural engineer with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said calibration is a simple procedure that can potentially save thousands of dollars and protect the environment.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE--Environmentalists and citizens concerned about agricultural chemicals moving into the environment from farms may take heart from a project investigating the fate of pesticides.

By Charmain Tan Courcelle

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Producers and pesticide applicators trying to find the safest ways to use pesticides and reduce spray drift may find the answer blowing in the wind, say scientists involved in pesticide drift research.

"We've found that downwind distance is by far the most important variable that affects ground, boom spray drift," said David Smith, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station agricultural engineer.

By Allison Matthews

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Hundreds of Mississippians apply pesticides for private or commercial purposes, and training sessions help ensure applicators handle chemicals safely for humans and the environment.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The success of a recent waste pesticide collection in Sunflower County demonstrated Delta farmers' commitment to protecting the environment and the need for similar programs in the future.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Recent headlines, "EPA to ban common pesticide," may have caught consumers' attention, but the most important message for users is on the need to follow product labels.

On June 8, 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency cited health risks to children as the reason for phasing out the use of chlorpyrifos in gardens and homes and cutting back its use in agriculture. Chlorpyrifos, one of the most common pesticides, is sold commonly under the trade names Dursban for home use and Lorsban for agricultural use.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- A record-breaking number of people were trained around the state Feb. 18 as private pesticide applicators of restricted use pesticides.

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Lester Spell suspended certification of private applicators Dec. 4, following criminal abuses of methyl parathion. The Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Bureau of Plant Industries resumed training and certification in February. After Extension's training, the BPI tested applicants and certified those who passed as private pesticide applicators.

CLEVELAND -- What is scientifically true about pesticide health risks and what is commonly believed are often at odds, a national expert on toxin exposure said recently.

Dr. Ronald E. Gots, managing principal of the International Center of Toxicology and Medicine in Rockville, Md., has been involved in toxic exposure cases since 1975. He spoke on this topic at the 1997 Delta Production Conference and Ag Expo.

"Pesticides stir passions, and often passion and reality differ," Gots said. "Pesticides can be dangerous, but they also can be used safely."