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Commercial Vegetable Production

Commercial Vegetable Production

Pesticide License Guide

To Obtain a Pesticide License

 

Step 1: Determine which license/certificate is needed

Step 2: Obtain a voucher number

Step 3: Schedule your test

  • Visit https://pesticideexam.ifas.ufl.edu/scheduleExam/ to schedule an exam at your local UF/IFAS extension office. Enter your voucher number and then schedule your exam. Most exams taken at your local UF/IFAS extension office can be taken for free.
  • Exams can now also be completed remotely through an online proctoring platform for a fee of $26.13. Any questions about online testing should be directed to the proctoring company, Everblue, at 1-888-502-8151.
  • A few license types are only offered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, including regulatory pest control, regulatory inspection and sampling, chlorine gas infusion, and sewer root control.

Step 4: Study for your test

  • The Upcoming Pesticide Trainings page has virtual and in-person classes that are focused on test preparation for agricultural related tests.
  • A full list of FDACS approved classes can be found here: https://aessearch.fdacs.gov/.
  • Some in-person classes offer the option to take the exam afterwards. If not, you will have to schedule the exam separately.
  • Additional preparation resources can be found at the Pesticide Information Office Website.
  • Study guides for each exam are available for purchase at the Hendry County Extension Office, as well as some other UF/IFAS county extension offices. They may also be purchased from the UF/IFAS Bookstore.

Step 5: Take your test

  • Tests are currently only offered in English, although FDACS is working to make Spanish tests available.

Step 6: Obtain your license

  • After passing the exam, an email will be sent by FDACS to the address you provided with information to pay for your license. Private and public license fees are $100. Commercial license fees are $250.

 

License Recertification

 

To renew a pesticide license you may retake each exam, or you may obtain the appropriate amount of CEU credits within 4 years of your certification date. The number of credits required for recertification depends on the license and can be found here.

CEU credits can be obtained by attending in-person meetings or by reviewing materials online and then taking a pre-test and post-test. You must receive a score of 70% or greater on your post-test to receive CEU credits for that material.

There are a number of opportunities to earn several types of CEUs that are posted on the Commercial Vegetable Production website.

  • The Upcoming Growers Meetings page has virtual and in-person vegetable grower meetings that you can attend live. CEUs are often not confirmed by FDACS until the week before the meetings, so amount and category type are not listed. Generally, you can expect to receive 1.0 CEU for each hour of instruction time.
  • The Recorded Growers Meetings page has posted vegetable grower meetings. You can click on the drop-down menu under each program to view the amount of CEUs offered for each license category. You will need to complete the pre-test, view the recording, and achieve a 70% or greater on the post-test.
  • The Upcoming Pesticide Trainings page has virtual and in-person classes that are typically focused on test preparation, however, you can also attend these classes for CEU credit.
  • Finally, there are further opportunities for CEUs on the Other CEU Opportunities page. This includes pesticide classes through the UF/IFAS Extension Online Learning platform as well as written pesticide articles through the Growing Produce and the Southeast AgNet & Citrus Industry Magazine. To obtain credits for these pesticide articles you must read them and achieve a score of 70% or greater on a post-test.

Frequently asked questions about pesticide applicator certification and who to contact for specific questions can be found here. More information on pesticide licenses and CEUs can be found on the Florida Department of Agriculture’s page on Pesticide Applicator Certification and Licensing. You may also find more information in this pdf.