Native bees contribute more than $9 billion to the U.S. economy by pollinating crops while managed hives contribute over $15 billion, so their decline has resulted in a major concern for the agriculture industry.  Grassland Oregon is working to solve that problem with their new Pasture for Pollinators forage seed mixture.  The seed is not only pollinator friendly, proceeds from sales will also be donated to further sustainable agriculture research programs.

“Pasture for Pollinators was a brain child we came up with when we started realizing how much we were loosing of the pollinator population, which is incredibly important for agriculture because in contributes over $15 billion dollars overall, but most of our crops need those pollinators to be successful, said Risa DeMasi, co-founder of Grassland Oregon and immediate past chairman of the American Seed Trade Association.  Pasture for Pollinators is good for pollinators, offers a perfect nutritional balance for cattle, and contributes to the quality of the soil as well, DeMasi adds.

Pastures for Pollinators seed mixture is available now and orders or donations can be made at www.pasturesforpollinators.com.  Learn more about Pastures for Pollinators in this interview: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/pastures-pollinators.mp3″ text=”Interview with Risa DeMasi, Grassland Oregon, on Pastures for Pollinators”]