Approved handler courses

We've recently moved onto a couple of acres and are looking forward to getting some animals soon.

The FE season will be beginning soon and I am aware that alpacas, the animals we intend to stock with are very sensitive, so I want to be able to use a fungicide. The X-spore product states that it should be used under the control of an Approved Handler, where can I get training for this?

Thanks for any help

Go into any of your hort supply places, or they should know at Farmlands, PGGs etc.
If they havent changed their names, its called Gro Safe I think, or was when I did it as part of a hort course.
A good starting place is the manual setting out the different sprays and their levels of toxicity, it should be at your public library but farm suppliers and people selling sprays should also have them

Thanks for that - I’ll go and ask.

Where do you live? Do you know that your property gets FE? It can be a problem top of the South Island and northwards. Tasman region it affects vertically up to about 100 meters, which increases as you go north. More common on flat ground and northern and western slopes, especially when sheltered from wind. There is some suggestion that if the soil pH is high, so the soil is alkaline with a pH up to 6.2 (pasture growth slows down above 6.2 and unwanted minerals get taken into the grass, and wanted minerals get left behind, so an excess of more poisonous minerals and a deficit of required minerals) then the Pithomyces don't grow as well as at lower pH. pH is altered by spreading Agricultural Lime at about 1 tonne per hectare for every 0.1 pH units that you want to raise it. Every country in the world has Pithomyces but none have the variant that does so much damage as the NZ one, so don't use overseas literature to learn about FE.
About the Chemical Handlers Licence, you will probably find that for the amount that you will be buying and using you will not need a licence. It is not very poisonous and with the price of it and difficulty of application you will not be wanting to waste it. Ask when you buy the stuff if you need a licence for your usage. But it would be a very good idea to get one. Try by phoning Ravensdown at 0800 100 123 and ask if they know who does the course.
What equipment do you have to apply it?

Thanks for that - I had read something about lime before. No equipment yet. I was looking at a sprayer boom for the back of my atv - but may have to go for hand sprayers and a back pack. We’re in the Manawatu near Palmerston North which has had some pretty high counts in the past. I’ll try Ravensdown for more info. Thanks again