Why Did Tennessee Department of Agriculture Partner with FieldWatch?

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 Guest Blog by Tennessee Department of Agriculture


The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) has been using FieldWatch® since 2018. We at TDA know that farmers, producers, and applicators want to work together, and they set themselves up for success when they take advantage of these online tools. The DriftWatch™ site is valuable to specialty crop producers, and the BeeCheck™ Apiary registry provides beekeepers crucial information for keeping colonies protected.

 

DriftWatch is a great tool for producers and for chemical applicators because it connects them for critical communication about where and when applications will take place. Commercial specialty and sensitive crop producers can register their site location online and outline their fields on an aerial map. Pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide applicators can also register on the FieldWatch® website to locate these registered sites before they spray. Before this online platform, communication between the producers and the applicators was challenging. There are a few highly used herbicides used in the row crop industry that require applicators to check sensitive crop registries before making an application. The service that DriftWatch provides makes meeting that requirement easier and more convenient.


BeeCheck provides a platform for beekeepers to register their apiary locations to help protect them from accidental exposure to pesticide spraying and drift from chemical applications. FieldWatch® provides notifications to beekeepers when there is pesticide or herbicide activity planned in their area. The notice allows them to protect their colonies, and beekeepers appreciate being able to reduce risk and potential loss of their investment. And, using the platform can help pesticide applicators avoid issues because of their application.

 

Every group that FieldWatch® serves benefits from the connections the platform offers. It comes down to communication and safety and that is a large part of what the ag industry is about.

To learn more about FieldWatch®  and how its use could benefit you, your state or the producer and applicators where you are visit: https://fieldwatch.com/


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