FieldWatch Inc., a non-profit company that promotes improved communication and stewardship among crop producers, beekeepers and pesticide applicators, has expanded its SeedFieldCheck registry into three new states for the 2023 growing season. With this year’s expansion into Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, it is now available in eight states.
SeedFieldCheck integrates into the existing FieldWatch crop and apiary registry and enables seed companies to communicate the location and presence of seed field workers more effectively to pesticide applicators. In 2020, FieldWatch launched the SeedFieldCheck pilot program in Iowa in partnership with the Iowa Seed Association and Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association. In 2021, the SeedFieldCheck registry added four more states: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Nebraska. Positive feedback from aerial applicators and seed companies prompted FieldWatch to continue expanding SeedFieldCheck into new states.
“FieldWatch is proud to be a trusted partner in facilitating communication across agriculture,” FieldWatch CEO Bob Walters said. “Following SeedFieldCheck’s successful pilot launch in Iowa, we’re excited for even more member states to benefit from our innovative mapping tools.”
SeedFieldCheck enables seed companies to register the locations of their field crews daily. Field managers mark registered fields as “planned” or “occupied” to alert pesticide applicators when there will be crews in the area. The information is available in near real-time, allowing seed companies the ability to edit and update plans quickly, replacing the endless circulation of emails and paper or electronic maps to targeted applicators.
The FieldWatch registries include DriftWatch Specialty Crop Site Registry, BeeCheck Apiary Registry, CropCheck Row Crop Registry and FieldCheck. These free mapping tools can be easily integrated into many technology platforms used in agriculture and enable crop producers, beekeepers and pesticide applicators to work together to protect field workers, specialty crops and apiaries. Learn more about SeedFieldCheck at fieldwatch.com/seedfieldcheckinfo.
FieldWatch currently operates registries in 24 states, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. It also has registries in the District of Columbia and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
Additional Details
- A more detailed flyer explaining how SeedFieldCheck’s seed field worker notification system works is available here.
- Aerial applicators must have a free applicator account with FieldWatch to see field locations. To create an account, visit driftwatch.org/signup#applicator.
- For more information about FieldWatch or its online registries, DriftWatch, BeeCheck, CropCheck, FieldCheck and SeedFieldCheck, visit fieldwatch.com.