Registering for DriftWatch

Kansas growers of sensitive and organic crops are increasingly concerned about drift damage from commonly used pesticides. To help reduce the risk of pesticide drift damage, the Kansas Department of Agriculture has become a partner state of DriftWatch.

DriftWatch by FieldWatch is an online service that provides a place for producers of pesticide-sensitive specialty crops to map their crop locations. 

Kansas producers and applicators may now map their fields. To register your sensitive crops grown in Kansas, visit driftwatch.org.

Pesticide applicators may use the website to find sensitive crop locations in an effort to minimize the potential for damaging pesticide drift. Pesticide applicators should use the registry to identify where extra care should be taken to protect these vulnerable crops as not all areas may be identified on the public map. Applicators can also learn how these new tools can be used to identify sensitive crops before applying pesticides.

Please direct questions to the Pesticide and Fertilizer Program at KDA.PestFert@ks.gov or call us at 785-564-6688.

Registration Criteria

To register your sensitive crop on the new DriftWatch website, we recommend the following criteria be met:

• The crop is grown for commercial purposes and represents a legitimate source of income for the grower.
• The crop is known for its propensity to be economically damaged by herbicides that volatilize readily.
• If it is an organic crop, it must be produced under an organic certification program.
• The producer requests that we publicize the location on the website.

All approved crop sites appear on the DriftWatch registry map and is submitted directly to partner applicators. Farmers are responsible for keeping their information current and for removing a site that no longer meets these criteria.

Registered DriftWatch Producers can purchase official 'No Drift Zone' signs to be posted in their fields. Order instructions will be sent once your specialty crop site is approved by the state data steward.

Plant Growth Regulators

Plant growth regulators are sometimes also referred to as hormone-type herbicides, growth regulators, or Group 4 herbicides. Kansas growers of sensitive and organic crops are increasingly concerned about drift damage from commonly used herbicides. Many crops, like grapes, cotton, tomatoes, and fruit and nut trees are especially sensitive to this type of product. Growers of organic crops can lose their USDA certification if any type of pesticide, including any insecticide or fungicide, is detected in their crops.

Plant growth regulators are used to control weeds, trees and brush on cropland, pastures, lawns and roadside rights-of-way. These products can be prone to drift and to damage crops sensitive to them. The damage can be relatively minor, or it can cause total crop loss. Many factors will influence whether an herbicide moves off-target, including temperature and wind. Correct use of the right equipment and making the application at the right time can reduce the likelihood of drift.

The following list will help determine if the herbicide is a plant growth regulator. The trade names that appear in this list were chosen because they are commonly found in the marketplace. Similar products are sold under different trade names, so check the ingredient list to verify whether the product is a plant growth regulator.