Nebraska Dept of Ag History / Why DriftWatch Works for US

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Guest blog by: Craig Romary, Nebraska Dept. of Agriculture

In 2008, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) became aware of a cooperative project between the Nebraska Winery and Grape Grower Association (NWGGA) and the Nebraska Aviation Trades Association (NATA), where tall, visible flags were used to mark vineyard locations. This aligned with what NDA pesticide inspectors were hearing from applicators during drift inspections – “we didn’t know they (the specialty crop) were there.” 

NDA also heard about other states’ online mapping systems at that time, appreciated their value and applied for grant funds to develop one for our program.  With help from the NWGGA and the University of Nebraska Center for Land Management Information Technologies, the Sensitive Crop Locater was developed. In 2012, NDA joined DriftWatch.

Participation has grown incrementally each year since then, although we are still trying to reach more commercial specialty crop growers and beekeepers, as well as pesticide applicators. We continually try to get the word out to various organizations and individuals about the features of the service. And FieldWatch is continuously adding value to the service to increase the use of the technology for reducing instances of pesticide drift. The FieldCheck registration and app for applicators, and the ability to use the data on the fly, are beneficial tools for applicators. SeedFieldCheck is another tool that will be beneficial for preventing human exposures to detasslers and other field workers in Nebraska.

Applicators actively contact growers directly when their production information is added to the map, reaching out to initiate a conversation about the applicator’s plans and how they can work together. Growers oftentimes contact other farmers, neighbors, and applicators in their area to inform them about potential concerns and where they’re located.  

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