b'PROTECTING POLLINATORS This series is sponsored by Operation Pollinator,a Syngenta global initiative.THE STEWARDSHIP CYCLE Properly stewarding the land means properly using crop protection products. Melissa Shipman melissanshipman@gmail.comSTEWARDSHIP.Leaving the land in better shape than it started isnt as simple of a goal as it seems.Growers desire to be good stewards of the land, despite whether it is owned or rented, says Wayne Buhler, pesticide safety Extension specialist at North Carolina State University.They literally make their living off that land, so they want to care for it as they can, he says, and that means following a crop protection program. Seed treatments provide farmers highly targeted and effective seedling protection. Still, stewardship concerns linger, mainly, minimizing dust-off duringEnsuring bees are away from the sites at the time of application is the safest way to use handling and planting. crop protection products. We know dust can potentially carryOne way to avoid contact is to apply active ingredients off target, so follow- crop protection products at night or early ing the label ensures we minimize thosein the morning when bees are not forag-risks, says Mark White, senior regulatorying. Care should be taken to ensure fields stewardship manager at Syngenta.or nearby habitats are not in bloom. Seed treatment stewardship alsoApplying products in these windows includes properly disposing of unused orallows any toxicity levels to diminish spilled seed. before insects return to those fields to We must to make sure no other wild- forage, Buhler says. life species have access to consume those products, White says. Product Protection Stewardship of foliar applied productsStewardship starts with knowledge, both is similar in that the focus is primarily onabout the land and the products growers keeping targeted ingredients on target.use. Buhler says the key is to avoid contactKnowledge is really half the battle, with off target animals including insects,Mark White serves as senior regulatoryBuhler says. You have to know the pests particularly bees and other pollinators. stewardship manager at Syngenta.you are targeting and the different tools Bees are rather susceptible andavailable to manage them.depending on the product, the toxicitythere are programs, such as FieldWatchStewardship focused growers often may be low or high, he says. The onlyand BeeWatch, that connect beekeep- follow integrated pest management (IPM) really safe way to use these products isers and famers. These types of programsplans, which take into consideration cul-if the bees are not there at the time ofhelp to improve communication betweentural and chemical controls to determine application or shortly thereafter.beekeepers and farmers.the best course of action. This ensures To better understand the proximityA good steward is aware of their sur- pesticides are used only when necessary from managed hives to locations whereroundings, which means taking steps toand are always applied according to label crop protection products can be applied,avoid contact, White says.directions. 56/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2019'