[Pollinator] FW: NRCS Honey Bee Forage Press Release

[Tom Van Arsdall]

Sorry, someone kindly pointed out that the attachment didn't make it first
time so resending, with both word and pdf versions attached (hopefully).
Also pasting text below!  RTVA  

 

Contact:

USDA Office of Communications (202) 720-4623

 

Agriculture Secretary Announces $3 Million for a New Program to Improve
Pollinator Health

 

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2014 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA)
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide close to $3
million in technical and financial assistance for interested farmers and
ranchers to help improve the health of bees, which play an important role in
crop production. The funding is a focused investment to improve pollinator
health and will be targeted in five Midwestern states, Michigan, Minnesota,
North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

 

"Honey bee pollination supports an estimated $15 billion worth of
agricultural production, including more than 130 fruits and vegetables that
are the foundation of a nutritious diet. The future security of America's
food supply depends on healthy honey bees," said Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack. "Expanded support for research, combined with USDA's other efforts
to improve honey bee health, should help America's beekeepers combat the
current, unprecedented loss of honey bee hives each year." 

Funding will be provided through the Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP) to promote conservation practices that will provide honey
bees with nutritious pollen and nectar while providing benefits to the
environment. Recent studies have shown that beekeepers are losing
approximately 30 percent of their honey bee colonies each year, up from
historical norms of ten to fifteen percent overwintering losses experienced
prior to 2006.

 

This assistance will provide guidance and support to farmers and ranchers to
implement conservation practices that will provide safe and diverse food
sources for honey bees. For example, appropriate cover crops or rangeland
and pasture management may provide a benefit to producers by reducing
erosion, increasing the health of their soil, inhibiting invasive species,
providing quality forage and habitat for honey bees and other pollinators,
as well as habitat for other wildlife. 

 

Midwestern states were chosen because from June to September the region is
the resting ground for over 65 percent of the commercially managed honey
bees in the country.  It is a critical time when bees require abundant and
diverse forage across broad landscapes to build up hive strength for the
winter. 

 

Applications are due March 21, 2014

 

Since 2006, when heightened numbers of honey bee colony losses were first
reported, significant progress has been made in our understanding of the
factors that are associated with Colony Collapse Disorder and the overall
health of honey bees. The USDA is actively pursuing solutions to the
multiple problems affecting honey bee health. The Agricultural Research
Service (ARS) maintains four laboratories across the country conducting
research into all aspects of bee genetics, breeding, biology and physiology,
with special focus on bee nutrition, control of pathogens and parasites, the
effects of pesticide exposure and the interactions between each of these
factors. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) supports bee
research efforts in Land Grant Universities. The Animal Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) conducts national honey bee pest and disease
surveys and provides border inspections to prevent new invasive bee pests
from entering the U.S. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) and NRCS work on
improved forage and habitat for bees through programs such as the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and EQIP. Additionally, the Economic
Research Service (ERS) is currently examining the direct economic costs of
the pollinator problem and the associated indirect economic impacts, and the
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts limited surveys of
honey production, number of colonies, price, and value of production which
provide some data essential for research by the other agencies. 

  

For more information on this program, visit a
<http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?service=action/1/CountyMap/1/Na
vBar.HomeLink> local USDA service center or the
<http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/> NRCS website.

 

 

R. Thomas (Tom) Van Arsdall, Director of Public Policy

    <http://www.pollinator.org/> Pollinator Partnership

   Cell:  (703) 509-4746

   tva at pollinator.org

 

From: Bertelson, Lisa - NRCS, Washington, DC
[mailto:Lisa.Bertelson1 at wdc.usda.gov] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 10:41 AM
To: Undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Honey Bee Press Release

 

Good morning:

 

I wanted to let you know that USDA NRCS launched its honey bee effort this
morning!  The press release is attached, which you should feel free to
circulate.  Thank you all for your help advising me along the way. I think
this will be a great success.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.  

 

Best,

Lisa

 

Lisa Bertelson

Policy Advisor

Natural Resources Conservation Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Lisa.Bertelson1 at wdc.usda.gov

(202) 690-4231

 





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