The Hood River SWCD has worked closely with OSU Extension and the Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers to facilitate local bilingual agricultural trainings meaningful to the tree fruit industry. Many training opportunities are offered in Spanish and delivered by skilled trainers from Washington State Department of Agriculture, OSU, or private contractors with backgrounds in agricultural education. These trainings aim to be responsive to industry need and serve the people working within the tree fruit industry. Check in with news and events for current offerings and please reach out with any needs and ideas.
Trainings That are Offered Include:
Worker Protection Standards and Pesticide Handler Training
The Worker Protection Standards interactive Pesticide Handler Training is delivered in Spanish or English by skilled bilingual trainers from WSDA. It has been specially designed for employees who mix, load, and assist in the application of pesticides along with performing other pesticide related activities such as repairing pesticide application equipment on agricultural establishments, and who do not hold a pesticide applicator license. Trainers from this class are from Washington State Department of Agriculture.
On completion of the course, attendees will receive a card that verifies that they have received annual WPS pesticide safety training as pesticide handlers. 6 Oregon and Washington pesticide credits are made available for this training.
Pre license Private Pesticide Applicators License Exam Preparation Class
This course includes two and a half days of instruction provided by an experienced bilingual trainer from the Washington State Department of Agriculture or OSU Pesticide Safety and Education Program.
Topics to be covered include:
· Federal and state pesticide laws
· Reading and understanding the pesticide label
· Pesticide formulations
· Personal protective equipment and using pesticides safely
· Pesticides and the environment
· Introduction to pests and pest management
· Pesticide application equipment and calibration, conversions, and calculations
The private pesticide applicator license exam will be administered on the third day of training onsite.
Air Blast Sprayer Calibration Workshop
This all-day and hands on training is provided by Washington State Department of Agriculture for an all-day air blast sprayer calibration training in Spanish and English. Participants will get both classroom and field experience in:
- Understanding the function and maintenance of sprayer parts
- Practical ways to calibrate equipment so sprays are delivered accurately
- Configuring sprayers to plant height and canopy density to reduce pesticide drift
- Evaluating the effectiveness of their equipment setup by checking coverage in orchards. 7 Oregon or Washington pesticide credits are available for this training.
Integrated Pest Management
These courses have been taught in Spanish by Instructor Leo Garcia formerly of Wenatchee Valley College Hispanic Orchard Employee Education Program. This course is designed to increase the knowledge and understanding of pest management and pesticide use in orchard systems. Topics covered will include: learning about the main pests and disease for pears, cherries and apples, understanding orchard pest and disease identification, life cycle, different methods of control, how to read and understand the pesticide label, general pesticide safety, and how to reduce the impact of pesticides in the environment. There will be 4 pesticide credits available for each half day class in both Oregon and Washington, 8 credits for both classes.
Irrigation Water Management
These courses have been taught in Spanish by Instructor Leo Garcia formerly of Wenatchee Valley College Hispanic Orchard Employee Education Program. This course is designed to increase the knowledge and understanding of managing on-farm irrigation water for improved crop production. Topics include irrigation systems, crop demand, soils, soils and water holding capacity, fertilization, management, and more!
