The DriftWatch program provides a way for Minnesota crop producers to communicate information about their crop locations and herbicide sensitivity to pesticide applicators. This is done by posting their crop information on the interactive online FieldWatch map. Pins on the map show the locations of producer submitted fields and beehives (Fig. 1). Selecting a pin brings up additional information about the site. Users can zoom in on a pin to view the field borders and the surrounding land use (Fig 2). Pesticide applicators can use the FieldCheck program to view this information prior to spraying and take needed precautions to avoid drift to sensitive sites. BeeCheck is a companion program used by beekeepers to mark the location of their hives on the map. DriftWatch, BeeCheck, and FieldCheck are all free, voluntary programs managed by FieldWatch, a nonprofit company.
DriftWatch became available for use in Minnesota in 2011. It was originally designed for specialty crops such as fruits, vegetables, organic crops, nursery crops, and others. In addition to visually surveying an area for sensitive crops and beehives prior to spraying, applicators were advised to check the FieldWatch map.
With the advent of herbicide tolerant crops, it is no longer possible for applicators to differentiate between tolerant and susceptible plants by visual inspection. In response to this issue, some field crops (e.g., corn and soybeans) were added to the DriftWatch crops menu. In addition, herbicide tolerances for these field crops can be designated so applicators are aware of their herbicide sensitivity. The herbicide tolerances for the Minnesota field crops are listed by active ingredient in the table below.
Source: umn.edu
Photo Credit: FieldWatch
Categories: Minnesota, Crops, Corn, Soybeans