By Jeff Burbrink
Ag & Natural Resources Extension Educator, Purdue Extension LaGrange County

LAGRANGE — The office of the Indiana State Chemist will be offering the Plain Community of northern Indiana a chance to take the Core Pesticide exam and the Category 14 Manure Applicators exam on paper. This testing session is only for people with religious objections to taking the exam on computers.

Jeff Burbrink

The exam will be given at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 25. The location will be the Claywood Event Center, 13920 N 1100W, west of Nappanee.

Those wishing to take the exams at this session must be 18 years old or older, have a religious objection to computer-based testing, have limited ability to travel and you must present valid identification.

The Core Pesticide exam allows applicators to purchase and use restricted use pesticides on land that you own or rent. The Category 14 exam is for commercial for-hire fertilizer applicators and businesses using commercial fertilizers or manure from a confined feeding operation in the production of agricultural crops.

Here are the steps you need to take to participate in the exam.

1. Purchase the study manual for the test you wish to take by calling (765) 494-6794. The Core Pesticide Manual and the Category 14 Fertilizer/Manure Manual are each $40. Please allow time for shipping and studying.

2. Preregister for the exam by calling the LaGrange County Extension Office (260) 499-6334 or the Marshall County Extension Office (574) 935-8545. Let us know which tests you are taking.

3. Study the materials.

4. Arrive early with proper ID and $55 in exact cash or check (taking both exams will cost $110).

The ID requirement for this exam is

1) A valid Indiana ID Card with a photo, or

2) A valid Indiana photo exempt ID card, or

3) A birth certificate, a social security card and a piece of mail with the name that matches the social security and birth certificate.

For those needing these exams who do not have the religious objections, the study materials can be purchased in the same manner above. Once you receive your manual and are ready to take the core exam, go to https://tinyurl.com/yr2jkpfu or call (877) 533-2900 to schedule an appointment to take the exam at one of several Ivy Tech locations. The testing sites do change from time to time. The Ivy Tech sites in Elkhart, South Bend and Fort Wayne are currently listed as testing sites.

For those interested in some additional help, a brief training session will be held at 9:00 am at the Claywood Event Center. It will not be a full substitute for reading the study manuals. Rather, it will give participants a brief review of the study materials and a chance to ask questions.

From our experience, those who read through the study materials in advance have a greater chance of passing the exam.