The Delaware Department of Agriculture is now offering an online tool that helps protect pesticide-sensitive crops and commodities from pesticide drift. DriftWatch™ is designed to help pesticide applicators, specialty crop growers and stewards of at-risk habitats to communicate more effectively to protect pesticide-sensitive areas. DriftWatch is free for both growers and applicators. It is not available for homeowners or growers whose crops are less than a half-acre.

Sensitive crop areas that can be registered on Delaware’s DriftWatch site include commercial beehives, certified organic crops, fruits, grapes, nursery crops, greenhouses, pumpkins, melons, tomatoes, and vegetables. The DDA will review all sites submitted for registry prior to approval to make sure sites meet approval qualifications.

Commercial growers and beekeepers register their sites of a half-acre or more on the website. Pesticide applicators then can check the website to map out sensitive areas near their application sites and take extra precautions to avoid causing pesticide drift on those areas. DriftWatch is not intended to be a registry for homeowners or sites less than half an acre.

Please note that enrolling a sensitive site does not ensure or guarantee that pesticides are not sprayed near a property. The purpose of DriftWatch is to promote communication and awareness between pesticide applicators and specialty crop producers to reduce incidences of off-target exposure. We encourage growers and applicators to continue a personal dialogue so that concerns can be reduced.

Go to www.driftwatch.org to register. You can also learn more about DriftWatch™ at www.fieldwatch.com.

Additional Information/Publications for DriftWatch:

• One Page Informational Flyer
• User Guide: How to Sign Up or Login
• User Guide: Producer Guide
• User Guide: Applicator Guide