As the post-application season nears for the new dicamba herbicide technologies, please take all precautions to identify and protect sensitive crops; the labels require the applicator to do this ahead of applying the products.  One way to help identify sensitive crops is to utilize FieldWatch, which under the Driftwatch section, lists the locations of sensitive specialty crops in Illinois and other states.  Pesticide applicators can register on FieldWatch free of charge, and then be able to see the locations and types of specialty crops in your area.  You can also sign up to receive email notifications if a new specialty crop is added to the registry.  The nice thing about FieldWatch is that applicators can see the locations of specialty crops, but no one else has access to your name, company, email or location.  This program is truly designed to facilitate awareness and to help applicators prepare in advance to take the precautions necessary to protect specialty crops from any potential pesticide exposure.  The Illinois Dept of Ag ensures that all specialty crops and beehives listed in the program are legitimate, making this program a very useful and reliable source of information.  IFCA was instrumental in getting FieldWatch up and running in Illinois back in 2010, and the program has improved substantially since then.  

 

IFCA has also distributed sturdy, five foot red flags to help our members identify crops sensitive to dicamba.  We've distributed nearly 500 flags and have about 75 left.  If you would like some of these flags, please email jeanp@ifca.com and we will deliver the flags to you, along with an instructional postcard on how to use them properly.  These flags have been a helpful tool especially for our members who have organic or non GMO speciality soybeans in their territory.  If you have any questions about Dicamba stewardship, please contact IFCA.  We also have a few "Dicamba Do's and Don'ts" posters available if you would like to display or share them with your customers.