Arkansas pesticide applicators working row and field crops will be able to identify
herbicide-sensitive crops and adjust their spraying accordingly thanks to a unique
online platform called CropCheckTM -- a pilot program being offered in partnership between FieldWatch® and the University
of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
FieldWatch is a not-for-profit company that hosts registries that map locations of
pesticide-sensitive crops and bee hives. The effort is meant to help farmers prevent
damage to their neighbors. The partnership between FieldWatch and the Division of
Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service will also enable Arkansas producers to
have access to two other FieldWatch products, DriftwatchTMand BeeCheckTM.
Getting Started With Field Watch
There’s no cost to enroll or use the new registry and enrollment is voluntary. Both
commercial and hobby beekeepers can use the system, however only managers and owners
of crop fields that are used for commercial production and are of at least a half-acre
in size will have fields approved by the state data steward. The stewardship platforms
provided by FieldWatch are not intended for homeowners or those with small gardens.
Pesticide applicators will have different options for viewing locations on the new
system but all users in Arkansas, applicators, producers, and beekeepers, will need to go to https://ar.driftwatch.org/ and create an account to get started.
About Field Watch
FieldWatch, Inc®, a non-profit company that helps applicators, growers of specialty
crops and beekeepers communicate about the locations of crops and hives to improve
stewardship, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with five new member states
and enhanced technology.
FieldWatch was created to develop and expand the operation of DriftWatch™, a voluntary
online specialty crop registry program originally created by Purdue University in
2008. Today, FieldWatch offers an online national registry and tools that facilitate
communication between commercial applicators and growers of sensitive crops and beekeepers.
