The State Agriculture Department is moving toward on-line registration for a variety of services. Ag Secretary Patty Judge says they’ve just implemented a system to let farmers and businesses register for pesticide application and sales permits on-line. It’s the first on-line licensing offered by the Ag Department, but Judge says it won’t be the last. She says they felt they needed to start on-line with one segment and get it running well before adding more services. Judge isn’t sure how many people might use the on-line service for pesticide applications. She says farmers are required to get training and be certified to apply pesticides and there are several businesses that operate commercial pesticide applicator services. Judge says they hope to eventually move to a nearly paperless system.She says they have a lot of renewals and applications for the animal industry that’re now process through the mail and could eventually be handled on-line. A private firm has been hired to implement the on-line system. For more information, surf to the Ag Department’s website at www.agriculture.state.ia.us.