Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Ontario pesticide safety certification takes to the Internet

Thursday, February 28, 2013

by DIANNE FETTERLY

For their convenience, Ontario farmers now have the option of completing their pesticide safety certification online.

“We’re trying to keep up-to-date,” said Susan Kelner, Ontario pesticide education program coordinator. “We’re still holding the one-day course. This way we are just providing another option for farmers.”

According to Kelner, growers can complete the entire certification online. The course is held over a five-day period, with two hours of instruction each day. Spreading it out over five days allows farmers the flexibility to be able to complete their chores at home and still get their certification, she added.

The online option may be particularly useful for producers in more remote regions of the province, such as areas of northern Ontario where the in-class sessions are held less often.

“We don’t get to these areas as frequently . . . only once or twice a year. And if farmers miss for any reason then it’s harder for them to get their certification,” Kelner explained.

There are hundreds of one-day pesticide certification seminars held across the province each year, mainly from November to April, although classes are held throughout the year in some areas. The program has about 25 instructors and courses run about six to seven hours in length, including an exam component, she added.

Over the past 25 years, the Ontario Pesticide Education Program has trained 21,000 farmers and over 1,000 vendors in safe handling and use of pesticides. Kelner attributes the program’s success to the instructors and participants who “have been very supportive over the years.”  

In 1991, it became mandatory for Ontario farmers to complete the pesticide safety certification. Most U.S. states as well as all Canadian provinces have similar legislation in place, except Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the course is voluntary, Kelner said.

Ontario farmers must renew their pesticide certification every five years. Cost is $105 per certification, whether it is completed online or in-class. BF

Current Issue

September 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Ontario Farmers Share Yield Strategies Amid Drought

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

The Great Ontario Yield Tour held an event at Petersen Custom Farming in Osgood, Ontario, on Thursday, August 21, 2025. The farmer panel during lunch was one of the highlights of the event. Farmers and industry experts gathered to discuss yield strategies and the realities of this season’s... Read this article online

2025 Livestock Tax Deferral Regions Announced

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has published the initial list of prescribed regions eligible for the 2025 Livestock Tax Deferral provision, a key support measure for Canadian livestock producers grappling with the impacts of extreme weather. “As we continue to see the very... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top