The Pennington County Ag Land Rental Workshop which was scheduled for December 18th at the Pennington County Joint Facilities building has been postponed due to the forecasted poor travel weather. The workshop has been rescheduled for January 14th from 10 am until noon at the Pennington County Joint Facilities Building.
Minnesota farmers who plan to use a restricted use pesticide and possess a private pesticide applicator certification which expires on March 1, 2026 should plan to renew the certification after the 1st of the year. Renewal provides a great opportunity to help you stay current on pesticide safety, application best practices, and the latest in integrated pest management.
You can renew your certification by taking an in-person workshop, an online workshop, mailing in a paper test or taking the online pesticide applicators test. The online, self-paced course opens January 5th, 2026 and must be completed by February 28th to receive recertification credit. You can find it by searching “Minnesota private pesticide recertification,” as you can with all recertifications or at pat.umn.edu
You may also take the paper test again. These tests are available at local extension offices and may be taken and submitted through the mail now; however they will not be graded until the first full week of January. 2026 will be the last year of the paper test, future private pesticide testing will be proctored beginning in 2027.
The private pesticide online test may also be accessed by using the same search terms and is now a proctored test, you must have a web camera to test this way.
The private pesticide in-person workshop is a very well-attended way to recertify your license. You can register for the workshop online or the day of the workshop. You will need picture identification along with your current private pesticide applicators license.
All recertifications cost $100 and may be paid online or, if you pay the day of an in-person workshop, you must pay by check-cash or credit cards are not accepted.
To find a complete list of workshops in your area, please search “Minnesota private pesticide recertification" and click on the workshops dropdown box.
The University of Minnesota Extension office is still using the 19th edition of the Safety Education Manual which was last published in 2017. You may purchase this manual for $10 if you don’t already have one. If you have any questions, call Pennington County Ag Services at 218-683-7030.
Here is a list of local Private Pesticide workshops in 2026:
- 1/20/2026
- 1:00 - 4:30 pm
- Ada Event Center
- 415 West Main St
- Ada
- 56510
- Norman
- 1/26/2026
- 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
- McIntosh Community Center
- 115 Broadway NW
- McIntosh
- 56556
- Polk
- 1/30/2026
- 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
- Roseau City Center
- 121 Center St E
- Roseau
- 56751
- Roseau
- 2/9/2026
- 1:00 - 4:30 pm
- Barnesville Event Center
- 101 2nd St SE
- Barnesville
- 56514
- Clay
- 2/13/2026
- 1:00 - 4:30 pm (this include a ½ hour “Stop the Bleed” course)
- Northland Community & Tech College Auditorium
- 1101 Highway One East
- Thief River Falls
- 56701
- Pennington
- 2/16/2026
- 1:00 - 4:30 pm
- Youngquist Auditorium- NWROC, UMN - Crookston
- 2900 University Ave.
- Crookston
- 56716
- Polk