These forms are all entered digitally on the IPM website :
1) Documentation of staff training - any staff training done in the 2014 season is required to be documented. A summary form including date, title of the course and the instructor is required.
2) IPM agent CEC Tracking - Every course has an IPM agent. For our course it is myself. Anyone who is IPM accredited, meaning they passed an initial exam, must continually obtain 6 continuing education credits (C.E.C) a year. This information must be documented and submitted as a part of the package. 1 C.E.C credit is earned for 1 hour of education related to IPM. Failure to do so will result in loss of accreditation.
3)Sprayer Calibration forms - As a part of I.P.M program we are required to calibrate our sprayers on a regular basis. This is a common practice among superintendents as we want to be sure when we apply pesticides and fertilizers they are going down at the correct rate. A form must be filled out every time the sprayer is calibrated and for each set of nozzles. We have different nozzles for different products. Some products need to be applied to the leaf of the plant, while others need to be applied closer to the roots. This is obtained by apply more or less water. Having different nozzles allows us to achieve these results.
4)Backpack Calibration forms - from time to time you may see us around the golf course with a backpack sprayer spraying weeds. This is a practice to reduce the use of weed killer as we are only spraying the weeds, rather than blanket spraying the entire course. Just like the sprayer, the backpack sprayer must be calibrated too. Forms for this must be submitted also
5)Scouting Forms - Once a week for the golf season (april 1st - oct 15th , as per IPM council ) a form must be filled out containing the amount of rain for the week, the low temp , the high temp, humidity and any pests that were seen on the golf course. If pests were seen more information is required such as what was it, where was it seen, contributing factors and what action did you take. There is also an option on this form to add the soil temperature for the week.
6)PCPA Forms - Every time a pesticide application is made a form must be filled out. On this form the following information is require:
- Date and time of application
- Name of person applying
- Sprayer used to apply
- Date the sprayer was last calibrated
- was the application preventative or curative
- what was the pest
- what was the reason for the pest
- what product did you use
- how much of the product you used
- what area did you spray, including what holes
- any notes/ comments you wish to add regarding the application
7)PCPA Annual Report - A form is generated totalling the amount of each chemicals active ingredient you applied. This form has totals for 2014 and 2013. There are two blank columns, one you must indicate why you used this product this year, and why there is a different from last year.
8)Application Map - A map of the property must be submitted with all the areas highlighted that you applied pesticides too. As a part of the IPM program, we can only apply pesticides to playing areas of the golf course.
All this information is uploaded onto the IPM council of Canada's website, then it is reviewed by an auditor.
As you can see it is imperative that we document everything we do all summer long so we have the correct information when it comes to filling these forms out.
Stuart Bradshaw
Golf Course Superintendent
