VIENNA — The Maries County Farm Bureau held its annual meeting and dinner last Thursday night at the Vienna-Bassett Eagles. The meeting included changes to the organization’s bylaws, a presentation on pesticide applicator certification and the election of new board members.

The evening’s activities began with a meal provided by The Market and served by the Vienna FFA officers. After dinner, Maries County Farm Bureau President Chris Rowden called the meeting to order.

Bureau members voted to approve last year’s meeting minutes along with the financial report. Then, Rowden asked for a motion to approve an updated version of the organization’s bylaws, which he said had not been updated for more than 30 years. The changes updated policies to include electronic methods for conducting organizational business, such as email and video calls. After the members reviewed the new bylaws and voted to approve them, Rowden welcomed the featured speaker for the evening.

Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Certification Coordinator Emily Groner gave a presentation about upcoming changes to the process for pesticide applicator licenses that will go into effect in January.

The first change Groner discussed was changes to competency standards for licenses. She said classes will last a little longer than usual. Those seeking licenses will have more options for obtaining them. University of Missouri Extension will continue to offer classes. One of the changes to next year’s classes will be a $75 fee. The rate is the same whether a person completes one certification or four. A self-paced online course will also be available through MU Extension for the same cost. The third option is to pass an exam that takes one hour to complete. Exams cost $45, and they will be available at 41 locations throughout the state.

Missouri’s minimum age for obtaining a license has not changed from 18 years old. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) minimum changed to 18 years old to standardize requirements across the country.

Commercial applicator licenses have categories that each require some extra certification. Under new EPA guidelines, private applicator licenses will now have those same categories.

All people seeking private applicator licenses will need Category 20 certification, which applies to general agricultural pest control. Category 21 certification applies to soil fumigation pest control, Category 22 certification covers non-soil fumigation pest control and Category 23 certification is for aerial pest control.

Although Missouri has an 18-year-old minimum age requirement for applicator licenses, people ages 16 and 17 may obtain provisional private applicator licenses by receiving the same training as their immediate family members with private applicator licenses. The provisional licenses are certified and do not require supervision. Provisional licenses only allow for Category 20 certification. When the person holding a provisional applicator license turns 18, MDA will mail them a new license. At that point, they may obtain certification to add any of the other categories to their license.

Another change to private applicator licenses beginning in January is the prohibition of supervising the use of restricted-use pesticides that the licenses currently allow. Under the new guidelines, anyone using restricted-use pesticides will need their own licenses.

Beginning in 2025, private applicator licenses will be tied to farm names rather than individuals. Those who use their licenses at multiple farms will need to fill out licensing forms for each farm. The additional forms do not come at an additional cost.

Private applicator license holders whose licenses expire beyond 2025 will not need to recertify when the rules change in January. They may wait until their licenses are set to expire.

More information about applicator permits, including a document outlining the complete rule changes, is available online at agriculture.mo.gov/plants/pesticides.

After the presentation, Rowden invited special guests to provide remarks.

State Rep. Bennie Cook spoke about his recent efforts to obtain Agri-Ready designations from Missouri Farmers Care for Missouri counties. In addition to signing up for the program in Maries County and Phelps County, which he represents, Cook also helped coordinate the designation in Pulaski County and Ozark County.

“It shows to everybody across the state and across the nation that we are agriculture-friendly here in Maries County,” he said.

Cook also encouraged attendees to watch for next year’s Maries County Day at the Capitol, which he planned to host if reelected in November.

Rowden also presented Cook with a Missouri Farm Bureau Friend of Agriculture Award for his support of the bureau’s platforms in the legislature.

Other remarks came from state Sen. Justin Brown’s field representative Ray Schwartze and Maries County Western District Commissioner candidate Patrick Kleffner.

The meeting’s business ended with the election of officers. Vice President Chris Brundick and board member Jacob Schwartze were reelected to seats on the bureau’s board. Rodney Southard replaced outgoing board member Dennis Shirk.