PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE, Pa. — Today during Ag Progress Days, Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding announced that a new registry is available for Pennsylvania producers to prevent pesticide use from affecting their land and farms.
“While pesticide applicators are conscientious about protecting against drift, it can at times be an unavoidable threat,” said Sec. Redding. “FieldWatch will give users the tools they need to proactively safeguard their surroundings and provide for enhanced outreach amongst Pennsylvanians and their neighbors.”
FieldWatch is a free, voluntary program that allows participants to register their land to protect it from chemical drift, which can affect organic production, herbicide-sensitive crops, and pollinator protection efforts.
The program encourages communication between sensitive crop producers, beekeepers, and pesticide applicators, and will allow them to map fields or pollinator gardens using a software program. Pesticide and herbicide applicators can also notify growers and beekeepers of spray applications through the program.
Currently under state law, businesses such as apiaries, pesticide applicators, and plant merchants must register with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. FieldWatch was endorsed by the PA Pesticide Advisory Board for use in Pennsylvania, and it is currently used in 22 states and provinces, providing a consistent registry for pesticide applicators across multiple states.
For more information about the program, visit www.fieldwatch.comOpens In A New Window.
–Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture