Free Mapping Software Protects Farmland From Chemical Drift

Free Mapping Software Protects Farmland From Chemical Drift FieldWatch, a U.S.-based nonprofit, manages a suite of drift-prevention tools to help organic growers and beekeepers avoid spraying accidents. These mapping tools (DriftWatch, BeeCheck and FieldCheck) enable farmers and pesticide applicators to communicate about sensitive crop areas. Organic growers and beekeepers can voluntarily register their locations, and applicators can then check the map before spraying. The DriftWatch mapping tool was created around 2008 in response to Red Gold Tomatoes of Central Indiana. Tomatoes are highly sensitive to chemical drift from GMOs, which has had a significant economic impact. Chemical drift and mixed-up coordinates were to blame. “Growers lost hundreds of thousands annually,” says Bob Walters, FieldWatch’s President and CEO. “There were lots of lawsuits.” Purdue University offered to map the company’s tomato fields using GIS so growers could mark their fields on the map to alert sprayers. The effort proved so successful that the University expanded the tool to include more states and crops. Today, FieldWatch is the nonprofit that manages DriftWatch and BeeCheck, a similar tool for honey hobbyists. Similarly, FieldCheck is a portal for chemical applicators. It lets them gauge wind speed and direction before spraying, minimizing the risk to nearby sensitive fields. The software is free to users and is supported by the Department of Agriculture across numerous states and by large chemical companies eager to avoid harming organic operations. “We’ve been financially stable for going on eight years,” Walters says. The nonprofit operates in 28 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. These tools have over 17,000 applicators as registered users, along with 50,000 crop producers and beekeepers. The tools are also useful for roadside right-of-way and mosquito sprayers who want to help protect bees and specialty crops grown near roadsides. “Organic farmers, as a group, are an easy sell for us,” says Walters. “They don’t want any drift or residue on their crops.” Currently, the nonprofit’s tools are undergoing a major software upgrade to update the infrastructure from 2010, which will take several years to fully implement. “Our biggest challenge is education,” Walters says. “Lots of growers and sprayers have still never heard of the program.” It’s a challenge to balance the full schedules of speaking opportunities needed to get the word out about the program, but it’s one well worth taking on. “Feedback is the biggest joy,” Walters says. “We feature success stories on the website.” He’s eager to spread the word because accounts can help farmers avoid unfortunate miscalculations. “FieldWatch is the cheapest insurance policy available to avoid chemicals on your land. It’s free. It takes two minutes to make an account.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, FieldWatch, Inc., Purdue Research Park, 1281 Win Hentschel Blvd., Suite 1300, West Lafayette, Ind. 47906 (ph 877-443-4353; www.fieldwatch.com).

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