CUMMING, Ga. — Growers and agricultural providers using AgStudio FARM and AgStudio PRO from MapShots, Inc. can now view vital information about specialty crops and apiaries through a recent integration with the DriftWatch Specialty Crop Site Registry from FieldWatch, Inc. This integration marks a further step forward for environmental stewardship.

Launched in 2008, DriftWatch is a voluntary online specialty crop site registry originally created by Purdue University. It allows farmers, beekeepers and applicators to identify, map and communicate locations of high-value pesticide-sensitive crops, as well as beehives. Since its launch, DriftWatch has been adopted by 12 states and one Canadian province.

FieldWatch, Inc. is a non-profit company created to manage and expand the operation of DriftWatch. In addition to developing a national software registry for DriftWatch, the company provides leadership and direct communication with its primary stakeholders, the state and province departments of agriculture.

"With this integration, if a MapShots customer also subscribes as a user of DriftWatch, we can overlay that information onto their maps in AgStudio," said Clint Ingram, Field Product Manager at MapShots. "Since apiaries, specialty and certified organic crops cannot have pesticides sprayed near them, it is crucial for growers and applicators to have this information. With these maps, they can determine when and where they can apply products to avoid pesticides drifting into sensitive areas."

To integrate the DriftWatch data stream into AgStudio, users must sign up for a FieldWatch Applicator Membership and pay a low annual data subscription fee. Both applicators and multi-branch retailers should visit the FieldWatch homepage at http://www.fieldwatch.com/ and follow instructions to register as members.

"Once users have signed up for the service, they will be notified when anything changes in their area," explained Ingram. "If new beehives or crops are added or relocated, they will receive that information automatically. DriftWatch is an important new stewardship tool for farmers, beekeepers and applicators. MapShots is pleased to provide its customers with this service."

Visit the MapShots website today for product overviews, testimonials, news and support, in addition to training through the LearningCenter. For further information, contact your regional sales representative at 678-513-6093.