Andrew Thostenson to Provide EPA Pesticide Update At Hard Spring Wheat Show

As, Andrew Thostenson, NDSU Extension Pesticide program specialist, oversees the training and certification of private and commercial pesticide applicators throughout North Dakota. A decade of owning and operating a seed and crop management consulting company in the Pacific Northwest, and four years of experience as a county Extension agent in Washington and North Dakota required him have a firm grasp on the litigation and regulations regarding pesticide use.

The Endangered Species Act, enacted in 1973, establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered. It also provides interagency cooperation for issuing permits for otherwise prohibited activities that may damage their recovery. Pesticides often find themselves at odds with flora and fauna, but he will both explore the history of the Endangered Species Act, how it affects North Dakota's pesticide use, and how to navigate the Act's pesticide labeling in the modern world.

Thostenson is a former American Association of Pesticide Safety Education president and EPA's Certification and Training Assessment Group fellow and past-chair. He holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in plant sciences from the University of Idaho. He has been in his current position at NDSU for 26 years.

The 71st Annual National Hard Spring Wheat Show will be held at the Grand Hotel in Williston, Thursday Feb. 1. Andrew Thostenson will be doing the EPA Pesticide Update at 9 a.m.