USDA to provide $4 million for honeybee habitat
October 29, 2014 | 01:27 PM
The Agriculture Department will provide more than $4 million in technical and financial assistance to help farmers and ranchers in the Midwest improve the health of honey bees that play an important role in crop production, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today.
“The future of America's food supply depends on honey bees, and this effort is one way USDA is helping improve the health of honey bee populations,” Vilsack said in a news release.
“Significant progress has been made in understanding the factors that are associated with colony collapse disorder and the overall health of honey bees, and this funding will allow us to work with farmers and ranchers to apply that knowledge over a broader area.”
Vilsack said an estimated $15 billion worth of crops is pollinated by honey bees, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is focusing the effort on five Midwestern states: Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Earlier this year NRCS announced $3 million pilot investment and a June 2014 presidential memorandum titled “Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators” directed USDA to expand the acreage and forage value in its conservation programs.
Vilsack said the funding will be provided to producers through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Applications to NRCS are due Friday, November 21.
▪ USDA Bee Watch
“The future of America's food supply depends on honey bees, and this effort is one way USDA is helping improve the health of honey bee populations,” Vilsack said in a news release.
“Significant progress has been made in understanding the factors that are associated with colony collapse disorder and the overall health of honey bees, and this funding will allow us to work with farmers and ranchers to apply that knowledge over a broader area.”
Vilsack said an estimated $15 billion worth of crops is pollinated by honey bees, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is focusing the effort on five Midwestern states: Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Earlier this year NRCS announced $3 million pilot investment and a June 2014 presidential memorandum titled “Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators” directed USDA to expand the acreage and forage value in its conservation programs.
Vilsack said the funding will be provided to producers through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Applications to NRCS are due Friday, November 21.
▪ USDA Bee Watch
