March 21, 2017 • Page 16 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com National Ag Week March 19-25, 2017 Understand Hardiness Zones Before Planting Obtaining Private Applicator Certification or Recertification in S.D. Gardening benefits Amanda Bachmann – iGrow the environment in Certification courses and exams are available for new myriad ways. Maintainand existing private pesticide applicators. If you plan to ing natural landscapes apply any pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, and/or and preserving green fungicides) to an agriculture commodity worth $1000 or spaces can reduce more, you need to be certified. the collective carbon Certification Options: Individuals have two options to footprint of the human obtain private applicator certification: attend a recertificarace. Trees, flowers and tion class, or complete an online exam. Both options are other greenery filter the free of charge. air and create welcomWhat to Bring: Private applicator certification requires ing habitats for all positive identification using a government-issued photo species of animals and ID. Acceptable forms of identification include but are not insects. limited to a driver’s license, passport, or military ID. If you Many home gardenare recertifying, please bring along your existing private ers set out each spring applicator certification card even if the card is expired. to create landscapes Why Certify? Certification is required by law and it gives you the tools to apply pesticides properly, safely, that cater to all of the and profitably. You must be competent to read and folsenses. But choosing low a label, calibrate your sprayer, and apply pesticides. plants that are unlikely Certification is good for five years and allows you to buy to thrive in certain and apply general and restricted use pesticides. A private climates can lead to applicator cannot accept cash for spraying applications dissatisfaction and USDA Hardiness Zone map courtesy of the USDA. View an interactive version at but can trade agricultural services; for example, you can premature plant demise the USDA website. spray your neighbor’s field if they bale your hay. and may require gardenRecord Requirements: Private applicators must keep updated in 2010, uses nine different conditions. The company offers an ers to use more fertilizers, zones. interactive zone finder on their web- records for two years of all restricted use pesticides that pesticides and other not-so-Earththey apply. While record keeping is required only for reZone maps are tools that show site that will indicate the hardiness friendly techniques to help plants where permanent landscape plants zone as well as average first and last stricted use pesticides, it is good practice to keep records thrive. of all pesticide applications as part of a farm management can adapt. Home gardeners who are frost dates. Visit www.burpee.com/ One of the more important steps plan. Record keeping books and information are available findgrowzone to enter a zip code. gardeners can take before spring ar- looking for shrubs or perennials to at your local SDSU Extension Office or SDSU Extension ReLearn more about plant hardirives is to educate themselves about last year after year should recognize that such plants must tolerate ness at planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ gional Center. Every year, some applicators are randomly plant hardiness zones. Hardiness selected for record keeping checks by the South Dakota year-round conditions, including the PHZMWeb. In Canada, visit the site zones are defined by the average Department of Agriculture. lowest and highest temperatures www.planthardiness.gc.ca/?m=1. climatic conditions of the region and the amount and are broken down into various of precipitation. zones. The USDA Hardiness Zone Snow cover and map divides North America into 13 separate zones. Each zone is marked humidity also can impact a plants by 10 F incremental differences from the last zone. In some versions propensity to thrive. of the map, each zone is further While zone divided into ‘a’ and ‘b’ regions. maps are not The National Gardening Associaperfect, they can tion says the USDA Hardiness Zone be useful in planMap was revised in 2012. The latest 2409 N. Broadway ning and ensurversion was jointly developed by ing the survival the USDA’s Agricultural Research Yankton, SD 57078 of future gardens. Service and Oregon State UniverPlant and seed sity’s PRISM Climate Group. To help develop the new map, the USDA and manufacturer Burpee says that Oregon State University requested other factors to that horticultural and climatic consider that experts review the zones in their also affect the geographic areas. As a result, the viability of plants zone boundaries in the 2012 edition include wind, of the map have shifted in many armoisture and soil eas. Canada’s Hardiness Zone map, Because the job is tough enough. . . Pole Garages • Shop Buildings • RV & Multi Storage Machine Sheds • Horse Barns • Hobby Shops & More! 605-665-9651 Getting the equipment you need shouldn’t be. Yankton, SD 665-3762 Wagner, SD 384-4580 Maverick Recruiting Can Help Fill All Open Positions For Your Company Freeman, SD 925-4241 Mitchell, SD 996-6633 www.deerequipment.com Specializing in Agriculture, Manufacturing, Construction and Transportation but we have filled roles in almost every industry. Call John @ 605-360-6504 to help with all your hiring needs or if you (or someone you know) is looking for a new job. John Schreurs GM John@maverickrecruiting.com • MaverickRecruiting.com America’s Farmers, ranchers and growers are some of our nation’s greatest assets. Not only do we rely on agriculture for our food, feed, fiber, and fuel, our agriculture producers preserve our environment, and help drive our national economy. JOIN US IN SAYING, “Thank You.”