Pesticide Applicators in Iowa Can Now Know Where Seed Field Workers are Active
As you all know, effective April 13, the Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association, together with the Iowa Seed Association, Field Watch, and other partners launched the SeedFieldCheck Best Practices Program.
This program provides you as Professional Aerial Applicators, near real-time data, which accurately identifies when and where seed field workers will be present. Iowa is the only state where this safety feature is available this year and Iowa Aerial Applicators are the authorized field beta testing proponent to utilize this agriculture worker safety program to the industry. Should you need the information to sign on to this valuable program, please contact Field Watch or your automated mapping software provider.
It’s time to get on board with this program and keep Iowa agriculture on the cutting edge of safety and technology. IAAA encourages our members’ participation.
Secretary Naig Reminds Producers, Pesticide Applicators Communication is Key to Reducing Off-Target Applications
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages members of the agriculture community to work together to keep field workers, apiaries, and specialty crops safe during the 2020 growing season. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship partners with the non-profit company FieldWatch® to provide free communications tools that facilitate conversations and collaboration between producers, beekeepers, seed companies, and pesticide applicators. The centralized communications platform is intended to protect beehives, sensitive crops, and now seed field workers from accidental pesticide exposures.
New in 2020, FieldWatch is piloting a program in Iowa that allows seed companies to register the locations of their field crews daily. Users mark registered fields as “planned” or “occupied” to alert pesticide applicators when there may be crews in the area.
“Iowa has always been a leader in agricultural innovation, and the FieldWatch SeedFieldCheck registry is just another example of that legacy,” said Secretary Naig. “I commend the Iowa Seed Association and Iowa Agricultural Aviators Association for recognizing a need and working with FieldWatch to develop a solution to protect field crews. Working together, we can all have a safe growing season.”
FieldWatch offers three additional registries to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between various agriculture groups. Apiarists can use BeeCheck® to protect their hives, organic and specialty crop producers can map their fields with DriftWatch®, and pesticide applicators can monitor workers, apiaries, and sensitive crops in their areas with FieldCheck®. This level of transparency benefits all stakeholders and empowers producers and applicators to do business in a responsible, sustainable way.
Applicators, growers, and beekeepers can sign up for free at fieldwatch.com. Applicators will need to register with FieldWatch to see SeedFieldCheck site locations in 2020. Once users create an account, they can update their contact and site information anytime. Smartphone apps make it easy for users to update their locations from the fields.
