Mommy is a Pesticide Investigator for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. And, yes, Mommy gets funny looks or stunned silence when she tells people. Mostly people wonder just what the heck that means I do. I thought I'd share a few of the things I might do on an average day:
- Meet with a pesticide dealer to go over their record of pesticide sales
- Take complaints when someone thinks something has been done wrong
- Visit with growers about their restricted pesticide use
- Visit with applicators that apply pesticides for hire
- Write-up reports about these activities
- Audit a class that helps train people to become licensed or keep their license to apply pesticides
- Visit a site of application and take samples
- Help develop and maintain a database to keep track of our reports
- Give presentations
- Go to stores to make sure the products available for sale are registered in Oregon
- Observe routine pesticide applications as they are occurring
What I do depends on the time of year. I tend to look at application and sales records in the winter when people aren't out making as many applications. We take more complaints and do follow-up investigations in the spring and summer because that's when more applications take place. But anything can happen anytime!
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| Mommy collecting residue samples in a home treated for bed bugs. Photos by Michael Odenthal. |
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| Mommy meeting with a grower in the field. Photos by Jan Fults. |
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