by Lana Koepke Johnson | Agronomy and Horticulture
The Department of Agronomy and Horticulture Pesticide Safety Education Program team was honored with the department’s Special Contributions Award by the Staff Advisory Committee on Dec. 11 at the department Holiday Staff Appreciation Luncheon.
Team members include Frank Bright, Greg Puckett, Vicki Schroeder, Julie Jacobs and Stephanie Shulze.
The semiannual award recognizes department staff who go above and beyond in their job duties in a way that greatly benefits the department and/or the university.
The PSEP, in concert with Nebraska Extension educators and specialists, and other collaborators, provides educational programs that address pesticide safety in the context of human health, the environment and economic wellbeing. The program oversees private, commercial and noncommercial applicator certification, as well as chemigation certification, in the state of Nebraska, in order to meet federal requirements.
The team works with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture for the pesticide recertification process and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy for the chemigation.
They are directly responsible for the creation of educational media resources, the delivery of training sessions, and the ongoing engagement with stakeholders.
In 2023, the PSEP team helped train a total of 11,893 individuals across various certification programs with 1,849 individuals certified in chemigation, 6,928 individuals in private pesticide certification and 3,116 individuals in commercial/non-commercial pesticide certification.
Bright and Puckett are Nebraska Extension associates and have been with the program for eight years. They present PSEP educational materials at numerous clinics and conferences throughout the state.
Bright organizes the commercial/non-commercial video trainings as well as the online training options for the different programs including Commercia, Private, Chemigation and Private in Spanish. He collaborates with other team members to provide answers to pesticide safety-related questions.
Puckett focuses on writing and revising training materials and Nebraska Extension publications. He ensures that the program stays up-to-date with the ever-evolving federal pesticide regulations. Additionally, he manages the PSEP website.
Schroeder has been with PSEP for almost 20 years and serves as the program associate. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the administrative office, ensuring effective communication, cooperation, and a high level of customer service. Schroeder handles administrative details within the program, including resolving confidential issues.
Schroeder researches, compiles, maintains and summarizes data in support of the program. Additionally, she assists in the composition, planning, production, distribution of various pesticide publications. She also advises pesticide applicators on program requirements, course availability and prerequisites.
Jacobs has been with PSEP for eight years and serves as an office associate. She is the first point of contact for thousands of internal and external customers who go through pesticide safety training each year. Jacobs answers questions on how to register for training, how to access study materials and provides technical support for online training sessions.
Shulze works part-time and has been with PSEP for one year. She focuses on inventory management, order fulfillment and collaborating with team members on editing projects.
“Through their exceptional dedication, teamwork and expertise, the PSEP staff has consistently delivered the federally mandated pesticide certification training program in a way that ensures success and exceeds expectations each year,” said Martha Mamo, agronomy and horticulture department head and John E. Weaver Professor of Agronomy and Horticulture.
More details at: https://go.unl.edu/qw6n