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Bee health dollars for Midwest farmers
The USDA is providing more than $4 million in technical and financial assistance to farmers in five Midwestern states to improve the health of honey bees: Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The Midwest has more than 65% of commercially managed honey bees in the country.
The agency says the Farm Bill made pollinators a high priority and progress has been made in understanding the factors associated with Colony Collapse Disorder and the “overall health of honey bees.” Ag Secretary Vilsack says the funding will allow the USDA “to work with farmers and ranchers to apply that knowledge over a broader area.”
Several state offices of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are putting in more funding for similar conservation efforts. Those states include Ohio and California.
The USDA says an estimated $15-Billion worth of crops is pollinated by honey bees.
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