RUP Certification: Is Your License Valid?

Pull out your wallet and check the expiration date on your Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) certification card. Is it still valid? Licenses expire on March 1; they are good for only three years. You may need to be re-certified.
 
RUP certification is required by law for anyone who buys or sprays pesticides. Commonly used pesticides in Federated’s service area include atrazine and pyrethroids, among others.
 
“You must present your license [certification card] when purchasing the product,” said Ron Paulson, Federated’s Isanti location manager.” That applies to hauling the product, too. Both growers and Federated can “get in trouble,” he said, if products are hauled or sprayed without evidence of certification in hand.
 
Don’t wait too long to check on your RUP certification/license. Be sure you are ready to go when the pesticides need to be applied.
 
In-person workshops are no longer available this year, but online options are available for re-certification. “You can go online [through the U on M Extension] and take the test,” said Paulson.
 
You can also talk to your Federated Agronomist custom application services and let Federated handle all the certifications.