Registration in Sensitive Crop Directory is encouraged

     Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages eligible farmers and apiarists to register or update their data in the Iowa Sensitive Crop Directory, as the 2019 planting season begins.

     The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship partners with FieldWatch, Inc., to provide the online registry where crop producers and apiaries can list the locations of their specialty sites or hives. The online FieldWatch registries support ongoing stewardship activities and help reduce off-target pesticide exposures.

     “We know farmers are anxious to get into the fields this spring but we encourage everyone to check the FieldWatch registry before applying crop treatments,” said Secretary Naig. “The FieldWatch registries are valuable online tools that raise awareness about sensitive site locations and spur conversations between specialty crop producers, beekeepers and pesticide applicators. Most importantly, they help keep fieldworkers, produce and beehives safe during the growing season.”

     Producers should register the following commercial agricultural products with the Iowa Sensitive Crop Directory: beehives/apiaries, fruit and vegetable plots (berries, fruits, pumpkins or melons and vegetables), nursery crops, vineyards (grapes), orchards, evergreen/Christmas tree plantings, and certified organic row crops, small grains and pastures. Fields must be at least one-half-acre to be registered as a specialty crop site.

     FieldWatch offers three online registries: beecheck™ for apiarists, driftwatch™ for specialty crop producers and fieldcheck™ for pesticide applicators. Apiarists and sensitive crop producers can find detailed directions on how to register their sites with the FieldWatch tool at iowaagriculture.gov. Once producers sign up, they can update their contact and site information any time. Beecheck and fieldcheck smartphone apps make it easy for apiaries and applicators to update their locations from the field. The apps are available free of charge on Android and iOS.

     The FieldWatch tools are gaining popularity among producers, apiaries and applicators.

     More than 2,500 producers have registered almost 1,200 fields and 63,400 acres of specialty crops in the state of Iowa, to date. This is a dramatic increase from April 2018, when there were 1,500 producers, 740 fields and 33,000 acres of specialty crops registered in Iowa.

     The number of registered apiaries and beehives in Iowa are also increasing. Today there are more than 1,900 apiaries and 11,600 beehives registered, up from 1,700 apiaries and 11,000 beehives in April 2018.

     Pesticide applicators are also embracing the registry. There are twice as many registered applicators today than there were one year ago – 1,075, up from 513.

     Questions about the Iowa Sensitive Crop Directory or FieldWatch registries can be directed to IDALS State Horticulturist Paul Ovrom at paul.ovrom@iowaagriculture.gov or 515-242-6239.