Registration:

Q: Are the registration fees pro-rated?
A: No, the laws the Plant Board operates under do not provide a provision for pro-rating registration fees.

Q: What products have to be registered?
A: All products intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest, all products intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant, and any product intended for use as a spray adjuvant.  This includes products exempted under FIFRA Section 25 (b).

Q: How do I know when my products have been registered?
A: Upon approval of the registration, the registrant will be sent a signed copy of the Application for Registration of Pesticides submitted.

Q: Is there a late fee for re-registration?
A: No.

Q: Are registration fees required for pesticides undergoing the discontinuance process?
A: Yes.

Dealer:

Q: Does a dealer need a license to sell general use pesticides?
A: No, a Restricted Use Dealer's License is only needed to sell restricted use or Class E or F pesticides.

 Certification and Licensing:

Q: Why have I not gotten my license yet?
A: If you have not received your license after about 3 to 4 weeks after you mailed it, then contact our office at 501-225-1598.

Reason license may have not been issued:

• the application may have been lost in the mail
• the application may need additional information
• your certification may have expired

Q: When is the next certification (Training) class?
A: The Plant Board does not set the dates for training.

• For Private Applicators contact your local Cooperative Extension Service.
• For Commercial/Non-Commercial Applicators contact Ples Spradley at the Cooperative Extension Headquarters at 501-671-2234.

Q: When is the next test date for Commercial/Non-Commercial Applicators?
A: Examinations are given at the Plant Board office once a month usually on the third Tuesday of each month.  Contact Dana McGinty at 501-225-1598 to schedule an appointment.

• Examinations are given after each recertification training class in November, December, and January.
• Initial Training classes are held in March around the state with examinations given at the end of the class.
• Training is not required before taking the test but is recommended

Q: What do I have to do to get a commercial license and what does it cost?
A: First is to become certified and then provide the required information (proof of Financial Responsibility) along with the application forms and fees.

• The fees are $100 for the firm plus $20 for each piece of application equipment.
• The individual applicator license is $35 for each category.
• It takes both the firm license and individual applicator license to apply pesticides.

Q: When does my certification expire?
A: Private Applicators - Certification is good for five years.  The expiration date is printed on the license and the stub that is mailed to you.  (Recertification Training Required by ______)

Commercial/Non-Commercial Applicators - Certification is good for three years.  The expiration date is printed on the license and the stub that is mailed to you.  (Recertification Training Required by ______)

Enforcement:

Q: Can I eat my garden vegetables after they have been exposed to pesticides?
A: The Arkansas State Plant Board does not have the expertise to give advice as to the safety of eating vegetables that has been exposed to pesticides.  Such information will have to be obtained from the manufacturer of the pesticide found on the vegetables.

Q: Can the Arkansas State Plant Board stop these agricultural aircraft from flying over my house and property?
A: No. Air space is regulated by the Federal Aviation Authority.

Q: Can the Arkansas State Plant Board stop the use of agricultural pesticides in areas where people are allergic to pesticides?
A: No.  If the applicator of a pesticide is applying the pesticide in accordance with that label directions for that pesticide, then the Arkansas State Plant Board has no authority to stop the pesticide application.

Q: What determines when, where, on what field crop and in what conditions a pesticide can be applied?
A: Each pesticide is to be applied according to the label and labeling directions for that pesticide.

Q: How does the Arkansas State Plant Board determine what enforcement action is to be taken against violators of the Arkansas pesticide laws?
A: The Arkansas State Plant Board takes all enforcement action in accordance with its Pesticide Enforcement Response Regulations.

Q: What penalty will the violator receive if a violation is found?
A: If a violation is identified by the inspector, the violator (s) could receive a penalty raging from a warning letter for the first offense if no human exposure was involved, up to a civil penalty of $1,000 for repeated offenses, or a loss of license, or both. You should also be advised that if a formal hearing becomes necessary, you could be called to testify.

Abandoned Agricultural Pesticide Program:

Q: Who can participate in the program?
A: This program is meant for farmers who have old or unwanted agricultural pesticides.  We are specifically targeting pesticides that are no longer being manufactured and pesticides that are no longer labeled for use.  Traditionally farmers may have bought some of these pesticides in bulk to save money.  This potentially lead to some farmers having these older pesticides stockpiled and looking for a way to dispose of these unwanted pesticides.

Q: When are you coming to my county?
A: We are making an effort to reach every county in Arkansas.  We are working at a pace of ten counties per year.  At this rate it should take us about seven years to complete a pesticide collection in each county in Arkansas as long as the funding for the program is in place.

Q: Will you take oil, gas, paint or other home products?
A: No.  The Arkansas Abandoned Agricultural Pesticide Program is designed for agricultural pesticides only.

Q: There is not a label on my pesticide container.  Will you still take it?
A: Yes.  We are able to take agricultural pesticides even if the label is no longer readable or present.  Before disposal each pesticide is tested to determine the EPA approved proper disposal technique.  This allows us to accept agricultural pesticides even without the label.

Q: Is there any cost associated with participating in this program?
A: No.  There is no cost for those participating in the program.  This program is designed as a service to help farmers dispose of unwanted pesticides without the cost often associated with pesticide disposal.

Q: What happens to the pesticides after the collection events?
A: The pesticides are taken to the hazardous waste contractor's facility.  At the facility they test, sort, and destroy the pesticides in accordance with EPA regulations for each product they identify.

Q: Who determines where the next collection events will be held?
A: The Abandoned Pesticide Advisory Board makes this determination using several factors.  The Abandoned Pesticide Advisory Board is made up of representatives from the Arkansas State Plant Board, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, the Arkansas Farm Bureau, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission.