Sensitive Crops and Apiaries

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has created a registry for producers to list the locations of their pesticide sensitive crops and for beekeepers to list the locations of their apiaries.  This registry will be used to create an on-line directory for use by pesticide applicators to identify the locations of sensitive crops and apiaries and minimize the potential for pesticide drift damage.

Sensitive Crops

The Sensitive Crops Directory will provide pesticide applicators with the locations of those crops that are most susceptible to pesticide drift damage.  The intended crops for inclusion in the registry are vineyards (minimum one acre), orchards (minimum one acre), certified organic crops (minimum one acre), and fruit and vegetable crops (minimum ½ acre).The crops at each registered location must be intended for commercial use, be susceptible to pesticide drift damage, and meet the minimum acreage requirements.  The registry will accommodate the registration of multiple sensitive crop locations under one producer.  If multiple crops are located in the same location, only the primary crop for that location need be listed.

Apiaries

The Sensitive Crops Directory will help protect honey bees from exposure to chemicals that are toxic to bees. By adding the locations of your beehives to the registry, pesticide applicators will be required to notify you at least 24 hours and not more than 72 hours prior to applying these pesticides.  This will make it possible for beekeepers to take appropriate measures to protect their bees.  See the “Pesticide/Bee Rule” of the Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 21-45.31(206).

Annual Registration

Producers and beekeepers, who have previously registered, will be required to confirm their registration information between January 1 and April 1 each year in order to keep the directory current from year to year. 

Field Markers

The department has ordered field markers that will be available on a cost share basis to registered producers.  Producers are asked to post the field markers at the physical location of the pesticide sensitive crop at a height above the crop canopy that will make the field markers visible to both ground and aerial applicators. 

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