The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) gave the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Pathfinders RC&D a grant totaling $227,400 to establish monarch habitat in their state. Privately owned land totaling 3,311 acres in Iowa will utilized for the monarch habitats. The Department and Pathfinders RC&D will provide $227,500 in matching funds to support the project. The … 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
EPA Rejects Glyphosate Limits, Seeks Butterfly Comments
After more than a year of review, the Environmental Protection Agency has rejected a petition to limit the use of the herbicide glyphosate claiming that it causes harm to monarch butterflies. EPA responded to the petition filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council saying the agency “has not determined that glyphosate causes unreasonable adverse effects to the monarch butterfly.” At … 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
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
White House Releases Pollinator Strategy
Last June, President Obama called for an interagency Task Force to create a Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators. Today, the Task Force released its strategy, under the joint leadership of EPA and USDA. The strategy has outlined three primary goals: reduce honey bee colony losses to economically sustainable levels; increase monarch butterfly numbers to … Read More
Lawmakers Urge Coordination in Pollinator Health
The Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing last week to review the federal coordination and response regarding pollinator health, and what role, if any, neonicotinoid insecticides may be playing. “Federal coordination and communication is vital in establishing rules and regulations impacting pollinator health and farmers’ abilities to produce food,” said Subcommittee Chairman Rodney … Read More
USDA Honey Bee Loss Survey
USDA’s annual honey bee survey offered some good news and some bad news about the important pollinators – winter losses were lower, but summer losses were higher than the previous year. According to the survey, losses of managed honey bee colonies were 23.1 percent for the 2014-2015 winter but summer losses exceeded winter numbers for the first time, making annual … Read More