The Department of Agriculture amended rules to require all aerial applicators in South Dakota to acquire aerial applicator certification for agriculture plant pest control and right of way. This rule change came about because the S.D. Aviation Association received a notification from Minnesota Department of Agriculture that stated they would no longer be accepting S.D. aerial licenses in a reciprocity manner as previously accepted. New rules had been adopted in Minnesota that required an aerial test to receive an applicators license in their state. Since South Dakota does not have such a specific test category, S.D. licenses would not be recognized. The rule would be in place a testing process in S.D. that gives an aerial-specific category. For the re-test only, the aerial exam will be required. SDSU Extension will be the exam creator. The exam will be based on the National Aerial Core manual. There was no opposition. The process was approved.
Source: Yankton Daily Press
