Here's what you missed at Day 1 of Pesticide Applicator Workshop, Day 2 still open!

Farming Smarter was proud to host the first session of our Pesticide Applicator Workshop this week, and there is still time to register for next week’s event.

The workshop connects applicators seeking necessary Pesticide Applicator credits and Certified Crop Advisor CEUs to maintain their certification status in the agriculture, landscape, industrial, and forestry industries.

The first of two half-day sessions, held on Mar. 18, 2026, featured four guest speakers, who shared updates in best management practices for environmental risk assessment, adapting your equipment to the weather, water quality assessments for spraying, and insecticide choices.

Registrations are still open for the second session, set for Wednesday, Mar. 25, which will cover incidence reports from 2025, regulation updates, kochia management practices, and options to mitigate pesticides leaving target sites. Register for the March 25 Pesticide Applicator Workshop online here.

March 18 Recap

The workshop opened with a discussion from Jason Burt, Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement Officer with Health Canada’s Pesticide Compliance Program. Burt’s presentation revolved around soil erosion, pesticide degradation, and how temperature, pH, moisture and molecular structure affect reactions.

The most important thing he stressed to the audience is to carefully read and follow all label instructions.

Mike Gretzinger, Farming Smarter’s Research Manager, followed with a presentation about how all water is not created equal.

While water is the “universal solvent,” he explained that turbidity and pH can heavily alter the chemical makeup of water and affect the efficacy of your pesticide. Gretzinger concluded with what causes these changes and what steps producers can take to manage it.

Rob Proulx, Ag Technology and Grain Systems Specialist with North Dakota State University Extension, was next.

Proulx shared how applicators can adapt their sprayers to account for less-than-ideal weather conditions. Changes in temperatures, winds, and drying conditions all affect the performance of pesticides and their application efficacy, he explained.

His presentation concluded with how applicators can identify these influences and make the right nozzle selection before they spray.

The final presentation of the first Pesticide Applicator Workshop was from Dr. Boyd Mori, an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta’s Ag, Food & Nutri Sci Department.

Dr. Mori reviewed how farmers can maintain effect control of major prairie crop pests, which common insects they must contend with, and the best suited insecticides for managing them.

His presentation ended with a list of free resources farmers can use to identify and respond to pests, such as Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network Crop Protection Guide, Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada, and Cutworm Pests of Crops on the Canadian Prairies.

Gearing up for the next Pesticide Applicator Workshop

Farming Smarter will host a second Pesticide Applicator Workshop on Wednesday, March 25.

This workshop will be hosted digitally through Zoom, with four presentations from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Applicators can receive four Pesticide Applicator CEU credits by attending, as well as three Certified Crop Advisor credits.

Check out the agenda below to learn more about the sessions and credits offered at Farming Smarter’s Pesticide Applicator Workshops. Or, register now to attend the events: Register online here. 

You can register for the second day of the Workshop for $150.

People also have the option to sign up for Farming Smarter’s Digital Learning subscription. 

For just $250 annually, you can register for the Pesticide Applicator Workshop and also receive many other benefits, such as delivered hard copies of the Farming Smarter Magazine, exclusive updates and reports on current research, a monthly subscriber-only newsletter, the subscriber YouTube library with over 850 videos, and more. 

Farming Smarter is an agriculture innovation hub based out of Lethbridge, Alberta. Our mission is to support the people involved in advancing irrigated and dryland crop production. We work closely with farmers, entrepreneurs, businesses, government, academia and more to bridge the innovation gap, drive economic growth, improve social impact and environmental sustainability. 

We are a policy governed, non-profit organization with by-laws under the Alberta Societies Act, and a Canadian Charity registered under the Canada Revenue Agency. If you like what we do, please consider supporting Farming Smarter by making a donation, sponsoring us, or consider coming to us for your agricultural research needs. 

Make sure you’re signed up to receive these hard to earn credits – register for the Pesticide Applicator Workshops today!