The National Potato Council announced last week that they are joining the Bayer CropScience Feed a Bee initiative as an official partner committing to enlist America’s potato farmers to help feed bees. Dr. Becky Langer, manager of the North American Bee Care Program says Bayer launched Feed a Bee in March of 2015 to address the problem of lack of … Read More
Are Neonics Dangerous To Bees?
Dana Sargent, Vice President, North American Regulatory Affairs for Bayer, wrote an open letter on the Bayer CropScience blog penning a response to U.S. and Canadian government regulation regarding imidacloprid. Here’s a portion of Sargent’s letter: As a mom and someone responsible for feeding my family, I know the importance of having ready access to safe and nutritious food. As … Read More
Feed A Bee Plants Over 65M Flowers In 2015
Bayer’s Feed A Bee campaign successfully planted over 65 million flowers in 2015 thanks to the support and contributions of consumers and industry partners. More than 250,000 consumers joined the initiative to feed pollinators as the Feed a Bee website and #FeedABee hashtag went viral. By the end of the year, more than 70 organizations joined the fight pledging thousands … Read More
Bayer Still Buzzing Over Feed A Bee Success
Representatives from Bayer CropScience were excited to announce at Farm Progress Show that they have exceeded the wildflower planting goals laid out at the launch of their Fee A Bee initiative earlier this year. “After just 11 weeks we have exceeded our goals, and have planted 55 million flowers through the initiative,” said Dr. Becky Langer, manager of the North … Read More
Ag Retailers Oppose EPA Proposal on Insecticides & Bees
While they work to keep pollinators healthy, the folks who sell products to ag producers are concerned about a new government proposal that would restrict crop protection measures. The Agricultural Retailers Association says the EPA’s “Proposal to Mitigate Exposure to Bees from Acutely Toxic Pesticide Products” is not based in science and would absolutely prohibit the use of most of … Read More
Bayer, Ernst Partner to Create Pollinator Habitat
Bayer CropScience has partnered with Ernst Conservation Seeds to provide bulk seed to individuals and organizations that have pledged to become Feed a Bee partners and dedicate land to the establishment of pollinator habitat. This news release from Bayer says Feed a Bee partners will receive a pollinator seed mix from Ernst Seeds that includes wildflowers that bloom from spring … Read More
Georgia Beekeeper Honored with Bayer Bee Care Award
Georgia beekeeper Paul Vonk has won the third annual Bayer CropScience Bee Care Community Leadership Award. Paul has worked to improve pollinator health by educating the beekeeping community using HiveTool™. His open source software provides a noninvasive way to analyze colony health. The system motors bees and allows keepers to manage hives with real time feedback on conditions. The data is also … Read More
The Buzz About Pollinators
June 15-21 has been declared Pollinator Week by the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). In conjunction with the USDA–NRCS, US Forest Service, the Pollinator Partnership, and others the group is celebrating what may seem like annoying insects. “Pollinators play a critical role in our everyday lives, and it’s important that we work to protect their habitat,” says NACD President Lee … Read More
Feed A Bee Initiative Exceeds Goal
The Feed the Bee campaign has received pledges to plant 50 million flowers in 2015. The initiative, sponsored by Bayer CropScience just 12 weeks ago, strives to to increase forage for honeybees by working with organizations and indificuals to provide the pollinators with their food source. Almost 200,000 people supported the campaign by visiting www.FeedABe.com and requesting seeds to plant. … Read More
ASTA Plays Part in Pollinator Plan
This week, the Task Force released its strategy, under the joint leadership of EPA and USDA and agriculture industry reaction to the plan has been very positive overall. Andy LaVigne with the American Seed Trade Association says the industry had a seat at the table in developing the strategy. “We were part of the original program pulled together at the … Read More