PREBLE COUNTY — Individuals holding a Private Pesticide Applicator License and/or Fertilizer Applicator Certification in Ohio are required to attend training to update their license every three years. Preble Soil and Water Conservation District is sponsoring a training program on Monday, Jan. 22, to meet both requirements. It will be held at the Eaton First Church of God, located at 601 E. Lexington Rd., Eaton. Attendees will hear from industry speakers and will enjoy a catered lunch. Get details and registration information by visiting www.prebleswcd.org or calling the SWCD office at 937- 456-5159.

Those individuals holding Fertilizer Applicator Certification should be aware of newly revised program rules from the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Changes include the following:

• Recordkeeping requirements for fertilizer applications now require tracking two additional pieces of information: the number of acres on which fertilizer was applied and the total amount of fertilizer applied, by weight or volume.

• Clarification has been provided regarding how rules apply to employees. The new rules state that anyone applying fertilizer on more than 50 acres must either personally hold fertilizer certification or act under direct supervision of a certificate holder. The person acting under supervision must be a family member or an employee in the same operation as the certificate holder.

• The certification period has been adjusted to run April 1 to March 31, and there is now a grace period for renewing an expired certificate.

• New applicants have the option of attending a 3-hour training course or passing a written examination.

• Those wishing to renew their certificates have the option of attending a 1-hour training or passing a written examination.