The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (AAFM) has announced its participation in FieldWatch Registries, a move aimed at improving communication between crop producers, beekeepers, and pesticide applicators. FieldWatch is a non-profit organization that operates an online mapping platform used by 27 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and the District of Columbia.
The platform offers a secure geographic information system (GIS) where users can identify and map locations of apiaries and crop fields. This allows pesticide applicators to avoid sensitive areas. Participants have control over how much information they share with applicators or the public.
According to the agency, “FieldWatch provides an online mapping platform (geographic information system (GIS)) that allows real time communication between farmers, beekeepers, and pesticide applicators in a secure environment with an easy-to-use mapping registry to identify and map the locations of apiaries and crop fields that pesticide applicators should avoid. The platform allows participants to determine the amount of information to be shared to pesticide applicators and/or the public.”
Vermont is now the first state in New England to join this initiative.
The AAFM is working with the University of Vermont Bee Lab on this project. The lab will help enroll participants in FieldWatch, provide technical support for using the system, and approve user-submitted crops and apiary sites on the map.
“Communication and cooperation are essential to successful farming and beekeeping in today’s environment. Beekeepers rely on growers for locations to place apiaries, and growers benefit from the pollination services provided by beekeepers. Close coordination of activities helps ensure more successful outcomes for all parties and promotes the overall success of Vermont agriculture,” stated officials from AAFM.
Initially, Vermont will offer three services through FieldWatch: Fieldwatch for pesticide applicators; Bee Watch for beekeepers; and Driftwatch for both conventional and organic crop producers. These services are free for users in Vermont. Participation is voluntary with no associated costs.
Further details about Vermont’s use of FieldWatch can be found at https://vt.driftwatch.org/.
For those interested in joining or seeking more information about participation, Sydney Miller at the Vermont Bee Lab can be contacted via Mary.S.Miller@uvm.edu.
