Soil Fumigation Credit Opportunity

At 1:00 PM on March 19th, 2026, Penn State Extension will host a hybrid workshop focused on soil fumigation. Soil fumigants are pesticides that form a gas when applied to soil to control pests that live in the soil and disrupt plant growth and crop production. Used on many high-value crops, soil fumigants control a wide range of pests, including nematodes, fungi, bacteria, insects, and weeds.

This course reviews how soil fumigants work, their hazards, the roles of applicators and handlers, strategies to protect handlers and bystanders, emergency preparedness and response, favorable application conditions, fumigation management plans, and buffer zones. Dr. Kari Peter, an Associate Professor of Tree Fruit Pathology at Penn State, will be presenting.

This workshop will provide two (2) Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Category 21 soil fumigation or two (2) Category 18 research credits. Those in need of credits to maintain their fumigation licenses should consider attending this workshop either in person or online.

People holding licenses from states with reciprocal agreements with Pennsylvania should also be eligible for credit. Those individuals are urged to confirm eligibility with their state's Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator licensing bureau prior to registering.

The in-person event will be held at the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville, PA. People are encouraged to attend the in-person event as it provides an opportunity to easily ask questions of Dr. Peter and to interact with her following the meeting's conclusion. However, a video simulcast of the meeting will be offered for those for whom distance makes travel difficult.

Online participants may ask questions verbally or by using the Zoom Q&A feature. Participants should ensure Zoom is updated to the most recent version available for their operating system prior to the meeting. Attendance for the full hour is required to receive both credits.

There is a minimal registration fee of $10 to cover basic operating expenses.